More than 13,000 students in the Waterloo region have been advised to update their vaccination records promptly to avoid potential school suspensions. The Region of Waterloo Public Health has sent out 4,385 notices to secondary school students on December 10, with approximately 9,400 more notices planned for elementary school students this week.
Under the Immunization of School Pupils Act, all students are required to provide proof of vaccination for nine diseases, including measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, polio, meningococcal, pertussis (whooping cough), and varicella (chickenpox), or have a valid exemption on file with public health.
Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang, the region’s medical officer of health, emphasized the importance of enforcing the Act to safeguard schools and the community, citing the need for up-to-date information to respond promptly to disease outbreaks, as demonstrated during the measles outbreak last year.
While receiving a notice does not necessarily mean a student is unvaccinated, it indicates that their records are not current. High school students have until April 6 at 4:30 p.m. to update their records to avoid suspension on April 9, while elementary students have until May 4 at 4:30 p.m., with suspensions effective from May 7.
Compared to the previous year, the number of notices has decreased. Public health noted that last year’s figures marked a return to pre-COVID rates. In late 2023 and early 2024, 32,000 students were issued notices, marking the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Students can update their vaccine records conveniently online through the Region of Waterloo’s Public Health website. Meanwhile, in Guelph and Wellington County, Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health has alerted 1,753 high school students and 3,568 elementary students to update their vaccination records.
Following the distribution of letters and the provision of vaccine catch-up clinics, nearly 1,000 high school students have updated their records, leaving 770 students still needing to update. High school student suspensions are scheduled to commence on February 11, while elementary students in certain school boards have been notified of their suspension date, ranging from February 25 to March 25.
Chuck Ferguson, communications manager for Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health, stressed the significance of vaccine records as a vital community health resource in identifying and responding to potential disease outbreaks effectively.
