Access to Practical Nursing (APN) & Practical Nursing LibGuide - Kelowna - Fall 2024 - Instructor Ginger Everett

No topic has caused more discussion, controversy, and social upheaval within human society than vaccinations. The anti-vaccination movement predates Edward Jenner's introduction of the smallpox vaccination in 1796. 

In 1998, Dr. Andrew Wakefield, along with 12 other colleagues, published an article in the British medical journal The Lancet. Titled "Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive developmental disorder in children," suggested a possible correlation between the MMR vaccination and the onset of ASD.

The Wakefield article significantly influenced the modern discourse on vaccinations and immediately had a profound impact on vaccination rates. The MMR vaccination rate in the England and Wales dropped from 91.8% to 81%. In London, the coverage rate has fallen to less than 60%. In Ontario in August 2024 25 confirmed cases of measles were reported in Ontario in 2024.

Then a long come Covid-19...