Having immunizations that are up-to-date helps to protect you, your family, your friends and the community against serious diseases like tetanus, diphtheria, polio, measles and the mumps.
As a parent, you likely know that to attend school in Ontario, your child must be fully immunized. But, what you may not realize is that their immunization records must also be reported to Public Health.
Why does Public Health need to maintain up-to-date immunization records for our residents?
The answer is quite simple. In the event of a disease outbreak, we need to know who is safe and who needs protection.
This February, in accordance with the Immunization of School Pupils Act, we issued letters to 17-year-old students in Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph who do not have their immunizations up-to-date and on record with Public Health. Every student needs to have their records on file with Public Health so we will be sending letters to all other age groups in the near future.
The letters to students let them know if they are overdue for any vaccinations based on our Public Health records. To stay in school, 17 year olds who are missing vaccines should attend the clinic at their high school, or visit their family doctor to have their immunizations updated and reported to Public Health by March 7, 2016. Any student who is not being immunized for medical or other reasons, will need to complete and submit an exemption form.
But, school-aged children aren’t the only ones who can contract infectious diseases. This is why we are encouraging you to check on the status of vaccinations for your whole family, even you! Ensuring your entire family is up-to-date on their vaccinations is an important part of being a responsible member of our community.
We all have a role to play when it comes to protecting the health of our communities.
Reporting your child’s immunizations to Public Health is easy. You can report records:
- Online: www.immunizewdg.ca
- By phone: 1-800-265-7293 ext. 7006
- By fax: 519-836-7215
- By mail: 160 Chancellors Way, Guelph, ON, N1G 0E1