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It's National Immunization Awareness Week and a local expert is reminding us how much safer we are because of the prevalence of immunizations available here.

“Certainly in Canada we have much higher immunization rates than certain other areas of the world," said Cypress Health Region Consulting Medical Health Officer Dr. David Torr. "Partly because we have good systems available and a good public health system. It makes a huge difference.”

Dr. Torr adds vaccines have come a long way from the early days.

“As vaccines were developed there were vaccines that were associated with side effects. In this day and age we've come a tremendously long way and many of the vaccines that are out there most of them are extremely safe.”

Dr. Torr notes many people alive today still remember people they loved going through the complications associated with the infectious diseases we can now control with immunizations.

In the early 1900s infectious diseases were the leading cause of death worldwide. Today in Canada they are responsible for less than 5 percent of all deaths.


Interview with Dr. David Torr: