From petition to policy: How one doctor's petition helped protect Inuit babies from deadly RSV
Inuit infants in Nunavut have some of the highest hospitalization rates for RSV in the world—yet for years, they lacked equitable access to preventive immunization. Backed by decades of research, Dr. Anna Banerji launched a national petition urging the federal and territorial governments to close this gap.
“Allowing access to this life-saving medication will greatly reduce hospitalizations, reduce suffering and loss of life due to RSV. ”
Dr. Anna Banerji, petition starterAfter five years of sustained advocacy and over 226,000 signatures, the Nunavut government committed to publicly funding RSV immunization for all infants in the territory. This decision represents a critical shift toward evidence-based, equitable healthcare policy—one that prioritizes the wellbeing of vulnerable populations in Canada's North.
Check out the petition to see how it became so successful.