The Northern Regional Health Authority (NRHA) vaccinated over 100 pre-school aged children at their Thompson administrative building on May 10 as part of the organization’s annual health circus.
According to NRHA immunization coordinator Leslie Sraybash, this event is designed to provide local families with free access to this and other important procedures—including dental, vision and hearing tests—in preparation for their kids entering kindergarten next fall.
Similar to what they’ve done over the past decade, the staff donned silly costumes and decorated their offices with balloons to provide a calm and welcoming environment for all visiting families. They even organized several activities like face painting to keep the children occupied while they waited for their appointments.
While pockets of Canada have had to contend with a surging anti-vaccine movement throughout the past year, leading to measles outbreaks in some cases, Sraybash said she’s encountered very little of that sentiment here in Northern Manitoba.
Regardless, she encourages any parent who missed out on Friday’s event to schedule a vaccination appointment for their kid(s) by calling 204-677-5350.
