Our health unit says more than 4,500 suspension orders have been mailed to secondary school students to get their immunization records up to date.
Officials with the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU) say students need to update their records or give a valid exemption by Sept. 26, to avoid being suspended. They add to attend school in Ontario, children aged four to 17 need to be immunized against diphtheria, tetanus, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, whooping cough, chickenpox, and meningococcal disease.
“We know that many secondary school students were unable to receive their routine and required immunizations during the pandemic” says Dr. Colin Lee, SMDHU’s associate medical officer of health. “That’s why the health unit has spent the last year working with families to update their student’s vaccinations and has offered catch up vaccination clinics to give students the opportunity to get immunized if they are behind.”
You can update student vaccination records at the health unit’s website or over the phone at 705-721-7520.
