HPPH says 39 per cent of students’ immunization records incomplete

Article content

More than 5,000 immunization records – or 39 per cent – of all students attending elementary or secondary school in Huron-Perth are incomplete, local health unit officials say.

Article content

Huron Perth public health (HPPH) said students are either missing immunizations required for school attendance or their immunizations have not been reported to the agency. Students with incomplete records may be suspended from school under the Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA).

Article content

Records are usually reviewed annually, but this was the first time the health unit completed the review and suspension process since the former Huron County and Perth District health units merged in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic also disrupted the student immunization review process.

“COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and a focus on pandemic response limited the ability of health units and primary-care providers to offer routine immunizations,” said Jennifer Beaver, a public health nurse with the immunizations team. “Many students missed getting their routine immunizations as a result.”

Article content

HPPH has begun sending letters through the schools to the parents or legal guardians of students with incomplete records and has been holding catch-up immunization clinics. The public health agency resumed in-school clinics in the fall of 2023.

Parents who receive a letter from HPPH regarding their child’s immunization records should do the following:

• If your child is up to date on their immunizations, please report this to HPPH either online at hpph.ca/icon or by calling 1-888-221-2133 ext. 3558;
• If your child is not up to date on their immunizations, please book an appointment with your primary care provider and/or HPPH. To book an appointment with HPPH, call 1-888-221-2133 ext. 3558. HPPH will also be holding vaccination clinics in the local high schools for high school students to get caught up. Dates and locations of those clinics are listed in the immunization letter from HPPH;

Article content

Under ISPA, children who attend primary or secondary school in Ontario must be immunized against the following diseases or have a valid exemption:

• Diphtheria
• Tetanus
• Polio
• Measles
• Mumps
• Rubella
• Meningitis (meningococcal disease)
• Whooping cough (pertussis)
• Chickenpox (varicella) – required for children born in 2010 or later

Children who do not get immunized are at increased risk of disease, health unit officials added. Parents are asked to respond to HPPH by March 4 to avoid a suspension notice. Suspension notices to students who have not provided proof of up-to-date immunizations will start to be mailed out in late April. School suspensions will begin May 23.

The health unit’s immunizations team expects a high volume of calls over the next month and requests patience from parents as it works to update incomplete records as quickly as possible. Parents must provide proof of their child’s immunizations to public health. Public health and health-care providers do not share the same system for documenting immunizations, so it’s important to let HPPH know if your child has received a vaccination at their primary-care provider’s office.

Article content