Nearly 6K elementary students put on suspension notice in Waterloo region

Waterloo Region Public Health has put almost 6,000 students on notice of suspension if they don't update their immunization records by the end of March.

David Aoki, the manager of vaccine preventable diseases at WRPH,said suspension is the last resort when it comes to children's immunization. He said public health officials prioritize working with parents to have the records updated.

Aokisaid he believes many of the children's immunizations are up to date, but parents need to call Public Health directly to ensure they are properly recorded.

"You're registering your kids for school and the school says 'don't forget to tell Public Health [about] your immunization' and people are busy and they don't," said Aoki.

"We also tend to see children in the age seven cohort because they got their four-to-six booster with their doctor and think the doctor is going to report...It's really the duty of the parent to report."

Parents who receive the letter have until March 27th to provide proof of immunization. If they don't the child's suspension could last up to 20 days.

Initial notices sent last fall

Public Health sent out 10,306 notices last fall to parents whose children needed their records up to date.Since then only 4,700 have complied with the request.

Health units in Ontario are mandated under the Immunization of School Pupils Act to assess records on a yearly basis of students enrolled in schools and to ensurethey are immunized against the following:

• Tetanus
• Diphtheria
• Pertussis
• Polio
• Measles
• Mumps
• Rubella
• Chickenpox (for those born after 2010)
• Meningococcal disease.

Anyone who requests a non-medical exemption based on religious reasons or conscience must attend an education session must contact Public Health and speak to a nurse about what is required.

Waterloo region gives parents a number of notices throughout the year to give them time to have their children immunized with suspension being a final.

Children can be immunized by their healthcare provider and for those who do not have a family physician, Waterloo Region Public Health has a list of walk-in clinics posted to their website.