Image copyright Getty Images Image caption One year ago this month, COVID-19 paralyzed a boy in Canada
Almost three-quarters of parents of children under the age of five are certain or somewhat likely to be following the advice of their healthcare professionals to give their children vaccines against the superbug COVID-19, a new survey suggests.
The levels of parents on board with vaccine experts – whose leading recommendations include the MMR vaccine for MMR – has remained stable since August 2017.
Although over half of Canadian parents had accepted the following advice at some point, only 26% of British parents believed the same.
Parents were also asked about the age at which they believed in vaccines in general.
Nearly two-thirds of Canadian parents believe that routine vaccination should begin before age five.
This compares with just 14% of British parents saying this.
A 2014 survey suggested that an “overwhelming majority” of British parents would reject advice to give their children vaccines.
Some 62% disagreed that adults should be vaccinated if they were unwell.
British parents had an “immediate apprehension of vaccination”, according to the same survey.
“Vaccination has become one of the most divisive health issues in the western world,” the Toronto-based healthcare consulting company that commissioned the survey, Opimas, said in a report.
About one in four parents said they would like to receive immunisation information in a video format.
“Digital, low-cost immunisation communication is a compelling option, and a possible watershed moment.”