Ontario needs to modernize vaccine registry, top doctor says

Ontario’s top doctor is calling for a national immunization schedule and registry to address gaps exposed by the resurgence of measles in Canada – but first, he says his own province needs a centralized digital vaccine system.

Dr. Kieran Moore’s annual report, recently tabled with the provincial legislature, says a co-ordinated approach from all levels of government and the health-care system is needed to keep vaccine-preventable diseases at bay amid a rise in vaccine hesitancy.

Each province and territory has its own immunization schedule and data system but for more than 20 years, health-care providers and public health experts have been advocating for a national vaccine registry. The Canadian Paediatric Society has also called for vaccine schedules to be harmonized across the countr