Is Your Child Up to Date?
Many illnesses that once threatened children’s health are almost unheard of in Canada today, thanks to successful immunization programs. However, these illnesses persist in countries where fewer people are immunized and the potential for them to re-emerge and spread increases when people don’t get vaccinated.
“Getting our children vaccinated is one of the best things we can do for them.” says Dr. Alex Summers, the Middlesex-London Health Unit’s Medical Officer of Health. “When our children are vaccinated, we don’t just protect them – we protect our families, our classmates, our friends and our community.”
Childhood vaccination is built-in to Ontario law. The Immunization of School Pupils Act requires school-aged children to be vaccinated against diphtheria, measles, meningococcal disease, mumps, pertussis, polio, rubella, tetanus, and varicella (chicken pox), for children born in 2010 or later. Children must be vaccinated against these illnesses to attend licensed childcare as well as elementary and secondary school. Their vaccinations also have to be current according to Ontario’s immunization schedule, which times vaccines to protect children at the ages when they are at highest risk. Children who have not received these vaccines must have a valid exemption on file with the Health Unit in order to attend childcare or school.
While children can be vaccinated at their healthcare provider’s office, that information isn’t reported to the Health Unit automatically. It is the family’s responsibility to advise the Health Unit each time their child receives a vaccine. When a child’s vaccination record is missing, incomplete or there is no valid exemption on file, the Health Unit can order their school to suspend them until they receive the vaccines or have been granted an exemption.
To avoid this, the Health Unit reviews the vaccination records of all students in the region annually and sends reminders about what information is missing or not current.
To update the immunization information the Middlesex-London Health Unit has on file for your child, or if you don’t have a healthcare provider and are having difficulty accessing vaccines for your child, contact the Health Unit at 519-663-5317 or visit www.healthunit.com/immunization.
