Waterloo region reminds secondary students to update vaccination records as suspension deadline nears
The Region of Waterloo is reminding secondary school students with suspension orders to update their vaccination records by May 7, or be suspended from attending classes.
"Suspension orders and information on how to take corrective measures were mailed to affected secondary school students in mid-March," said Lynsey Slupeiks, manager of corporate communications for Waterloo region, in a release sent out Monday.
Vaccination requirements are part of the Immunization of School Pupils Act, which "requires all elementary and secondary school students to have proof of these vaccinations or a valid exemption on file with Public Health," the release said.
Since the measles outbreak in October 2024, Ontario has seen more than 1,000 cases, most of which affect young people. (Dr. Erskine Palmer/CDC)
Measles and vaccination
"Routine vaccinations provide protection against measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, polio, meningitis, pertussis (whooping cough), and varicella (chickenpox)," Slupeiks said.
Measles, in particular, has been a public health concern in Ontario since late last year.
On April 24, Public Health Ontario reported that "a total of 1,020 people have had measles since the province's outbreak began last October." The report does not indicate how many of the cases are "active or communicable."
Sarah Wilson, a medical epidemiologist at Public Health Ontario, said that the province is seeing 100 cases per week, which she describes as "100 cases too many."
While it can affect adults, measles more commonly affects children, especially those who are not immunized. David Aoki, Chief Nursing Officer of Waterloo region, says it is very important to stay up to date with vaccinations. (Shutterstock)
Public Health Ontario's report said many of the new cases are in southwestern Ontario, with three quarters of the cases affecting infants, children, and teens.
David Aoki, the director of infectious diseases and Chief Nursing Officer for Waterloo region, says vaccines keep schools and children safe amidst the on-going measles outbreak.
"It's very important to stay up to date and make sure that you're not bringing potentially an infection in the school, or not getting an infection while you're in the school," he said.
Suspension orders: Elementary and Secondary
Slupeiks said Public Health sent out 7,077 notices to secondary students with outdated vaccination records back in January.
A total of 5,032 suspension orders were issued in mid-March. Approximately 2,380 secondary students were still not up to date as of April 24.
As for elementary students, Waterloo region "issued nearly 9,000 suspension orders to elementary school children who don't have up-to-date vaccination records" back in February.
On April 2, 1,624 elementary students were suspended.
Aoki says as of April 24, only 70 elementary students were still suspended.
Valid exemptions from vaccination requirement
Aoki said that while vaccines are "very effective against the diseases that they vaccinate for," there are specific instances where receiving vaccination may not be appropriate.
One of these situations is a medical exemption.
"If your doctor feels there's a medical reason why getting a vaccine is not possible at this time, whether it be because of medication you're taking, a medical condition, a past reaction, then your doctor can provide a medical exemption and send it to Public Health," Aoki said.
"Then there's what we call a statement of conscience or philosophical event," he added. This exemption is available to parents who feel that their values or beliefs are against vaccinations.
Aoki said parents may have their children exempted from vaccinations after completing a "short [virtual] education session."
Regardless of the type of exemption, students will have to report said exemption before May 8.
What to do next
Slupeiks reminds secondary students with suspension orders who already have updated vaccine records to report vaccines they have received to the region's vaccine website.
Public health vaccinations are available to secondary students without the need for OHIP. All appointments with public health have to be done online. (Eric Risberg/The Canadian Press)
If vaccines are needed, students may either book an appointment with their health-care provider, or at a public health clinic. Those who choose to get their vaccines via their health-care providers are required to report their vaccination to public health once vaccinated.
Students who choose to make appointments with public health will have to book their vaccination appointments online. Vaccination appointments are available at three locations:
150 Main Street in Cambridge.
20 Weber Street in Kitchener.
99 Regina Street South in Waterloo.
For students who booked vaccination appointments after the May 7 deadline, they are required to notify public health of said appointments to receive a temporary exemption on their record to prevent suspension.
Students who have already reported vaccine records but have not yet received confirmation, as well as those who received confirmation from public health that they will not be suspended do not have to do anything else.
The deadline to submit "up-to-date vaccination records, notification of an upcoming vaccination appointment, or a valid exemption" to public health is on May 7 at 4:30 pm.
Suspensions take effect on May 8.
For any questions, students and parents may visit the Region of Waterloo Public Health website.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Suspected case of Measles under investigation in Lee County, Alabama
LEE COUNTY, Ala. (WRBL) — The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) is investigating a suspected case of measles in Lee County involving an unvaccinated individual who was not yet eligible to receive the vaccine. The case is currently under review as part of ADPH's standard communicable disease response. Health officials say while the individual is confirmed to be unvaccinated, they were too young to have received the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. The ADPH is now working closely with local medical providers to identify any other unvaccinated individuals who may need the MMR vaccine as a precaution. 'At this time, given that most eligible Alabamians are vaccinated against measles, the risk for an outbreak remains low,' ADPH officials said in a statement. 'However, some individuals will need to be vaccinated as part of this ongoing investigation.' Measles is a highly contagious virus that spreads through coughing, sneezing, and close contact. In rare but serious cases, it can lead to pneumonia, brain swelling, and even death — particularly in young children, the immunocompromised, and unvaccinated populations. 'Measles vaccine is safe and highly effective in producing lifelong immunity against this potentially deadly disease,' said Dr. Karen Landers, ADPH's Chief Medical Officer and a pediatrician. 'Our citizens can protect themselves and others by ensuring that all eligible persons are vaccinated.' ADPH says anyone who may have been exposed is being contacted directly by health officials or their healthcare providers. Due to patient privacy laws and HIPAA regulations, no additional personal information about the suspected case is being released at this time. For more information on measles symptoms, vaccine eligibility, and how to protect yourself, visit: Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
How will the measles outbreak in Alberta affect kids?
With the measles count inching closer to the 1,000 mark in Alberta, this could mean dire consequences for the province's youngest and most vulnerable. As of Friday, the province has recorded 778 cases of the measles in Alberta, with 364 diagnosed within kids and teenagers aged five to 17 years. Over 200 cases have been diagnosed in children younger than five years old, a demographic Dr. Daniel Gregson, an infectious disease specialist says is especially vulnerable to developing serious complications from the virus. 'Measles complication rates are higher the younger you are and so, under five, you have a much higher incidence of complications which require hospitalizations,' he said. 'Common ones are pneumonia, unremitting diarrhea and then there are some rare complications like encephalitis that can result in admissions as well.' As of the time this article was published, five people are hospitalized, two of whom are in the ICU. For weeks, doctors, experts and government officials have encouraged Albertans to get vaccinated against the measles, attributing the rise in cases to poor vaccination rates over the last two decades. The reason the infection is spreading fastest among kids and teenagers is because of the low immunization rates in that demographic, according to Gregson. 'And transmission also happens when people who are not immunized gather together in large numbers and that's generally in schools.' With school almost out for the summer, that may mitigate the exponential rise in cases but with the count inching closer to 1,000, that increases the possibility of fatalities. But it's a difficult infection to control, Gregson cautioned, because it can be transmitted airborne and can stay in the air for approximately two hours after being released. 'So you can imagine, someone going to a store to pick up something,' he said. 'There could have been somebody in there who had been incubating in that four-day window and breathing in the store and then the store becomes a source of infection for other people, even when that person is no longer there.' Most adults who get the measles would see experience cold-like symptoms and a rash. But the complications arise for children who could also experience ear infections, pneumonia, dehydration and in rare cases encephalitis and blindness. On average, one patient in every 1,000 affected could die from the disease, although it's difficult to predict how that may pattern. 'We may see no deaths for the first thousand and then see three deaths in the second thousand,' he hypothesized. Should cases rise into the quadruples, kids younger than five years are most vulnerable to fatalities, he said. Ontario recorded its first death of the year from the measles outbreak in the province, after an infant born prematurely died from contracting the virus before birth. It is possible for pregnant mothers to pick up the infection and transmit to their babies pre-birth, Gregson said. 'It could be quite devastating.' A pregnant mother infected with the disease could see increased risk of a premature birth, a miscarriage, a stillborn birth or a low baby weight. The infection if passed on, could mean congenital measles for the fetus and respiratory complications post-birth.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
10 cases of rare illness linked to Botox from Mass. spa, officials warn
A 'growing cluster' of botulism cases related to Botox injections at a spa in Milton is under investigation by Massachusetts health officials. As of Saturday, there were 10 cases of suspected iatrogenic botulism linked with procedures performed at Rodrigo Beauty located at 464 Granite Avenue in Milton. State health officials describe iatrogenic botulism as a rare but serious illness caused by Botox spreading beyond the injection site, potentially leading to life-threatening symptoms. Anyone who received Botox injections at Rodrigo Beauty between May 1 and June 4 of this year is 'strongly urged' to contact the state public health department at 617-983-6800 or their local board of health immediately, even if they are not currently experiencing symptoms. Anyone who had Botox injections at the Milton spa and is experiencing symptoms should go to the nearest emergency department, health officials said. 'Early recognition and treatment can significantly improve outcomes,' officials said in a statement on Saturday. Symptoms can include blurred or double vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, or breathing difficulties following Botox injections, health officials said. A spa representative could not be reached for comment on Sunday morning. Mass. school employee stole food, supplies for his Cape Cod snack shack, authorities say These beaches in Massachusetts are closed on Sunday, June 8 Swim portion of Springfield's Ironman 70.3 canceled due to Connecticut River pollution Mass. State Lottery winner: Cape Cod man wins $120,000 'Keno' prize A disabled veteran is accusing a Holyoke city councilor of taking his home. Did he? Read the original article on MassLive.
