Your Stories

First time parents...

For my son, when we brought him home after his immunizations, he had a fever (...) and he experienced that through the night (...) at first my husband and I, because we were first time parents, we were thinking "Oh gosh, our son is really sick from these vaccines, did we make the right decision?" He was upset and we were upset because we were up through the night with him but then looking back, this was much better than him having one of those horrible diseases that he was just vaccinated against because he could have ended up in the hospital and had severe complications or even died because of these diseases, so a fever is nothing compared to that.

- First Nations mother, BC

It just makes sense...

I think it's important for everyone in our community and in our family to be immunized to stay healthy and continue to be healthy and to pass it on to our children and grandchildren - the importance of being immunized.

(...) With the knowledge of these diseases and what you can do to prevent them, it just makes sense for people to go in and do whatever they can to prevent getting these diseases.

There's so much information out there, there are so many people who can help you with any immunizations you need or questions you have. We have more and more nurses that are incredible, that come out to our communities and make us feel at ease. They have the knowledge to talk to us and explain it and they take the time to help us.

- First Nations Elder, BC

We need to protect ourselves...

I think vaccinations are really important in our community, and in Aboriginal communities. Before I was a nurse I wasn't too sure and I don't think I had enough information to make a decision, but now after being in the workplace and being certified (...) to give vaccinations, I had that information.

You know, in our history as Aboriginal people, we've been so affected by different diseases like small pox, like influenza in the pandemics that came through and killed so many of our people. We lost so many of our people that we need to protect ourselves through vaccine programs.

Things like flu, the people that are most susceptible are children, babies and Elders. We lost so many of our Elders. They carry our knowledge, they carry our languages and our traditions and we really need to have them as long as we can and keep them healthy. So protecting them against those diseases means vaccinating your children.

- First Nations nurse and mother, BC

My daughter is very healthy...

I did choose to get my daughter immunized just because with her age and her entering daycare, she might come into contact with people who have the disease. The nurses were very helpful. They notified us that if anything happened afterwards to bring her in and they had us stay in the clinic after to make sure everything was safe and good. My experience has been pretty good and I think they did their job very well and now my daughter is very healthy so I think it had something to do with it.

- Inuit mother, Nunavut

If we had vaccinations back then...

We do have a friend that had polio. I think it reinforced the need to keep up with your vaccinations. We are very thankful that we have something that can prevent those illnesses today.

I think the community perception up here, of vaccination, has really changed, because they've seen the benefit of what it can do - to you, and for the entire community as well.

We have families up here who have lost loved ones to either polio or other preventable diseases. If we had vaccinations up here back then, they would have lived. I encourage other Canadians to take advantage of vaccination programs that are available in their communities. You will benefit from them.

- Inuit Elder, Nunavut

Not just for your own health, for the health of your family and community...

Now that we don't see people getting polio and meningitis and measles and mumps and rubella, people don't recognize that in Canada, hundreds of kids used to get sick and be hospitalized every year. People would die every year from these illnesses. So nobody sees the bad stuff, and they forget why vaccines were put in place. (...) We're so lucky in Canada. The vaccines that we offer are free, and readily available. All the nurses who give them are well trained. It's safe, it's effective. We should be counting our blessings that we have access to these vaccines that can prevent illnesses.

It's really important for people to recognize that when they get vaccinated, it's not just for their own health; it's for the health of their family, and it for the health of their community. Because the more people who get vaccinated, the less chance there is in of anybody in the community getting sick with the illness the vaccine prevents.

- Doctor working in Nunavut

Traditional medicines can be used along side immunizations...

I speak to other Band members whenever I can about immunization, having participated with the GERMS Project.  When I started speaking with people two years ago, I initially thought all First Nations wanted to immunize their children as they still remember their history of Smallpox. What I discovered, however, was that among many of whom I spoke to, there were still questions such as where to get the immunizations when not living on Band lands? And why was there was a 15 minute wait after getting them?

At our recent Advisory meeting, I met a new First Nations family from another region of B.C. This was my first experience discussing immunization with a parent who was anti-immunization. I listened, and learned that this parent felt immunizations were medicine for a white-man's disease, and that four generations of her family have not immunized before. They apparently continue to use traditional herbs and plants to treat infections, which this parent has a supply of at her home. It showed me that more education was needed for parents on how traditional medicines can be used along side immunizations. I will be involved when the GERMS Project addresses parents.

- A First Nations community member, an early childhood educator student and a member of the GERMS Project Advisory Group, B.-C.

 A First Nations Perspective on Immunization

 An Inuit Perspective on Immunization

 A Métis Perspective on Immunization

 National Aboriginal Health Organization (NAHO) Immunization Public Service Announcement (PSA)