Ottawa Public Health (OPH) says it has started sending notices to parents with children and youth with incomplete or out-of-date immunization records.
The public health agency says it will be handing Notices of Incomplete Vaccination starting Wednesday to mid-January for Ottawa students born in 2007 and 2017 through their school. Notices will be sent through the mail once the Canada Post strike ends.
A review of student immunization records for students aged 7 and 17-years-old has found over 15,000 either do not have the required vaccines or have not reported their status with Ottawa Public Health.
“Ensuring immunization records are kept up to date with the local public health unit helps protect your child and the community from infectious diseases,” OPH said in a news release.
The notice will show what vaccines students are missing and how to update a child’s vaccination status. Parents or guardians will have one month to update their records before a second notice with a suspension order is sent.
An additional month will be given to update records before the suspension starts.
“Suspension is a last resort option to ensure immunization records have been updated and can last up to 20 school days if no action is taken,” OPH said.
Ontario’s Immunization of School Pupils Act requires students to be vaccinated against nine diseases, including diphtheria, measles, meningococcal diseases, mumps, pertussis, polio, rubella, tetanus, and varicella (required for children born in 2010 or after) or provide a valid exemption.
OPH is encouraging all parents, regardless of age, to ensure their child’s vaccination records are up to date and are reported to the public health. Primary care providers do not report vaccines to OPH.
Parents can update their child’s immunization records with OPH by using either the online Immunization Connect Ontario (ICON) Tool or the CANImmunize App.