Latest news with #ImmunizationofSchoolPupilsAct
Hamilton Spectator
02-07-2025
- Health
- Hamilton Spectator
Vaccination report card: How many Hamilton-area students had their vaccinations by year-end?
Higher rates of Hamilton-area students are opting out of routine vaccinations amid a rise in measles cases across Ontario. The once-eradicated disease is one of nine public school students must be protected against, however, students may apply for an exemption based on medical or philosophical reasons. In March, about 5.7 per cent of all elementary and high school students in the City of Brantford and the County of Brant and about four per cent in Haldimand and Norfolk County had vaccine exemptions, according to Grand Erie Public Health. Its region has had the second-highest number of cases (287) in Ontario's measles outbreak. But by the end of the school year, the number of exemptions had inched up 0.2 per cent for Brantford-Brant students. In Haldimand-Norfolk, it rose to 6.4 per cent. The once-eradicated measles disease has been spreading in Ontario. In Hamilton, about 4.7 per cent of students had exemptions as of June 16, up from less than 2.5 per cent about a year ago and nearly three per cent in 2018-19, chief medical officer of health Dr. Elizabeth Richardson said in an email. It's also up slightly from 4.5 per cent in late March, before the most recent round of enforcement of the Immunization of School Pupils Act. It's a 'really worrisome' trend, immunologist Dawn Bowdish previously said. This suggests the rate of students trying to avoid vaccinations has increased with enforcement efforts, which ramped up in 2024-25 after being paused for several years during the pandemic. Hundreds of Hamilton-area students missing vaccination records or a valid exemption were suspended this year under the provincial legislation, which has been historically successful in ensuring high vaccination rates at schools. Enforcement will continue with additional cohorts next year, Richardson said. Exemption rates are particularly concerning when it comes to stopping measles outbreaks, a task that requires 95 per cent of the population to be vaccinated. Often certain schools or regions have greater concentrations of students abstaining from vaccines, potentially creating 'pockets of infections,' Bowdish, a professor in the department of medicine at McMaster University, said in March. Eight schools — including five private religious schools — in the GEPH region have grappled with measles exposures since January. For the health unit, it meant managing more than 30 staff and 592 student exclusions (folks who were unvaccinated, partially vaccinated, or had unknown vaccination status) to protect them from catching the highly contagious virus, according to a report the board of health saw earlier this month. In Hamilton, the current rate is lower among elementary-aged students at 4.6 per cent, and higher among secondary-aged students at five per cent, a gap that has narrowed since March. A measles sign at the entrance to the Brantford General Hospital emergency department. Overall, 4,385 students — 3,012 elementary-aged and 1,374 high school-aged — of 92,618 students had exemptions as of mid-June. Students with exemptions may have received some or all routine childhood vaccines, and getting an exemption takes work, Bowdish pointed out. Applicants require either a statement from a doctor for a medical exemption or a form signed by a notary, justice of the peace or other certifier for religious or philosophical reasons. They're also required to participate in an education session about immunization and vaccine safety. No major religion explicitly prohibits vaccinations, she noted. Of the 2008, 2013, 2016 and 2017 cohorts who had submitted exemptions with GEPH, an average of less than one per cent were for medical reasons, according to public health data. Celeste Percy-Beauregard's reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. The funding allows her to report on stories about Brant County. Reach her at cpercybeauregard@ . Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Ottawa Citizen
23-06-2025
- Health
- Ottawa Citizen
3,000 Ottawa students suspended for failing to update vaccine records
Ottawa Public Health (OPH) has issued approximately 3,000 suspension orders to students whose vaccination records were not up to date. Article content Public health immunization surveillance of students in specific grades is a means of increasing vaccination rates and helping to better understand overall vaccine coverage. Article content Article content This year, OPH looked at vaccination records of students in grades 2 and 12 across the city, first sending out notices of incomplete vaccination records and eventually suspension orders to those who had failed to update their records. Article content Article content Suspending students is considered a last resort in public health efforts to ensure students are fully vaccinated when they attend school, something that is required under Ontario's Immunization of School Pupils Act unless students have an exemption for medical or philosophical reasons. Article content Article content This is the first year OPH has issued suspension notices to students since before the pandemic. The increased surveillance comes as an historically large measles outbreak continues to spread in Ontario, with more than 2,000 people — mainly infants, children and youth — infected since the beginning of the year. Article content Most of the cases in the outbreak have been centred in southwestern Ontario. They include a premature infant, who was infected with measles while in the womb and later died. Article content Ottawa has seen two measles cases this year — the first since 2019 — but they were related to travel and not the ongoing outbreak. Article content Measles is one of the most contagious infectious illnesses, and it is vaccine preventable. But, especially since the pandemic, Ontario and Canada's traditionally high vaccination rates have begun to slide. Article content The public health school surveillance work is aimed at helping people catch up on missed vaccines, to update their children's records and helping public health officials better understand vaccination rates. Article content Ottawa Public Health, working with school officials, checked the immunization status of children in Grade 2 and in Grade 12 during the 2024-2025 school year. Article content It issued 15,000 first notices reminding families to update their children's records, 9,000 suspension notices and, later, around 3,000 suspension orders to those who had failed to comply. Article content 'Ahead of any suspension, the focus is to ensure parents and guardians are aware of how to verify their records, get any missing routine vaccinations and update their records with OPH,' the public health unit said in a statement, adding that suspensions are 'always a last resort.'
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Kitchener high school closed after measles exposure, cases in Waterloo region climb to 59
Eastwood Collegiate Institute in Kitchener is closed for Thursday after a confirmed case of measles. The Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) says the school was closed to give Region of Waterloo Public Health the time it needs to complete required steps in vaccination verification. The confirmed case of measles at Eastwood Collegiate also caused exposures on May 7 and May 8. Public health will be reaching out to people who may have been exposed to the virus on those days. They will be given information about the required next steps. "We continue to work closely with public health to ensure appropriate infection prevention and control practices are in place and that we have the necessary support," WRDSB said in a notice posted online on Wednesday night. David Aoki, the region's director of infectious disease and chief nursing officer, said public health didn't order the school to be closed but they "work together with the school board" to make the decision. "Public health did not say that it must be closed, but we certainly support the the decision in this case while we work to work through this kind of exposure," he said. "We do have to verify for staff and students what their their records are. We obviously have a lot of the student records already because of the Immunization of School Pupils Act, but it's based on the timing and our ability to do that." The public school board said Eastwood students will continue their classes virtually. It says some students may use the day to work on previously-assigned homework. There were 920 high school students across Waterloo region who were suspended from school last week for not having up-to-date vaccination records on file with public health. The news is particularly concerning because there's a rise of measles cases throughout the province, Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang, the region's medical officer of health, said in a release last Thursday announcing the suspensions. "Vaccination is the best way to protect against serious illness," Wang said in a press release. The Immunization of School Pupils Act says students must be vaccinated or have a valid exemption on file in order to attend school. 59 cases in Waterloo region There are now 59 measles cases in Waterloo region and 53 in the area covered by Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health. The new numbers were released by Public Health Ontario on Thursday and reflect 11 new cases in Waterloo region and seven in Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph between May 6 to May 13. In all of Ontario, there were 182 new cases in the same time period, bringing the total to 1,622. Dr. Nicola Mercer, CEO and medical officer of health for Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health, said in an email to CBC News on Thursday that the area has been designated a risk area for transmission of measles and people should take that seriously. "The virus is spreading in the general population and those who are not vaccinated or immune are at risk for getting and transmitting measles," she said. "I encourage everyone who is not yet vaccinated to contact your primary care provider or public health." Aoki said they are also encouraging people who are not fully vaccinated to talk to a doctor or public health about their options. He said there are people who are opting not to get themselves or their children vaccinated, and in some cases, that's because people have forgotten how serious measles can be. "There are people who have concerns about vaccines and then we try to reach those," he said. "I think for measles, unfortunately, is a victim of its own success," he added. "We really haven't seen any outbreaks or transmission of measles like this since the 1990s and really that's because of vaccines. So we haven't ... had to worry about measles deaths or injuries because we haven't seen it." Schools in Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph with exposures In the area covered by Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health, four schools are listed as having measles exposures, with one school having three separate exposure dates: April 28 to April 29 — Central Peel Public School in Drayton. May 1 — Erin Public School. April 30 to May 1 — Paisley Road Public School. May 2 — Guelph Outdoor School. May 2 — Erin Public School. May 5 — Erin Public School. Other exposure locations Region of Waterloo Public Health says measles starts out feeling like a cold, with symptoms such as a runny nose, cough, sore throat, fever, and red, watery eyes that are sensitive to light. After that, small white spots sometimes appear in the mouth and back of the throat and three to seven days later, a red blotchy rash appears on the face and spreads to the rest of the body. The rash lasts up to seven days. If people are exposed, they should monitor for symptoms for three weeks. The following are a list of exposure locations (not including schools mentioned above) listed by Region of Waterloo Public Health: April 24 to April 25 — Kitchener Memorial Auditorium (Bachman-Turner Overdrive: Back In Overdrive 2025 concert). April 26 to April 27 — Waterloo Region Health Network at Midtown (formerly Grand River Hospital) emergency department. May 1 — Chick-fil-A in Cambridge. May 2 — Elite Auto Care, Cambridge. May 2 — V Nails and Beauty, Cambridge. May 3 to May 4 — Shoppers Drug Mart, 700 Strasburg Rd., Kitchener. May 3 to May 4 — Waterloo Region Health Network at Queen's Blvd. (formerly St. Mary's General Hospital) emergency department. May 4 — The Indian Supermarket, 2-509 Wilson Ave., Kitchener. May 4 — Walmart at Fairview Park Mall, Kitchener. May 4 to May 5 — Waterloo Region Health Network at Queen's Blvd. (formerly St. Mary's General Hospital) emergency department. May 6 — St. Jacobs Midwives, 2-9 Parkside Drive, St. Jacobs. May 6 — Eastbridge Medical, 4-370 Eastbridge Blvd., Waterloo. May 7 — KWIC Walk-in Clinic, 5 Manitou Dr., Kitchener. May 7 — KWIC Physiotherapy, 5 Manitou Dr., Kitchener. May 7 — OM India Food Centre, 5 Manitou Dr., Kitchener. May 8 — Cambridge Gateway Medical Centre (clinic and pharmacy), 102-460 Hespeler Rd., Cambridge. May 8 — Hespeler Medical Centre, B12-350 Conestoga Blvd., Cambridge. May 8 — McDonald's, 416 Hespeler Rd., Cambridge. May 8 and May 9 — Cambridge Memorial Hospital, emergency department. May 9 to May 10 — Food Basics, Elmira. The following are a list of community exposures in the area covered by Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health: April 21 to April 23 — Mar-Span Home Hardware, Drayton. April 28 — a Girl Guides meeting at Knox United Church, Caledon. April 29 — Studio 3 Dance Orangeville Dance Studio, Orangeville. April 29 — Centre 2000, 14 Boland Dr, Erin. April 30 — Henning Salon, 193 Broadway, Orangeville. April 30 — Guelph Family Martial Arts, 340 Woodlawn Rd. W. Guelph. May 1 — Guelph Medical Place Pharmacy, 83 Dawson Rd., Guelph. May 1 — Orange Care Pharmacy, 170 Lakeview Ct., Orangeville. May 1 — Orangeville Medical Imaging, 314 Broadway, Orangeville. May 1 — Boston Pizza, 35 Woodlawn Rd. W., Guelph. May 1 — Guelph Youth Music Centre, 75 Cardigan St., Guelph. May 1 — Suzuki String School, 75 Cardigan St., Guelph. May 1 — Dance Spirit Studios, 75 Cardigan St., Guelph. May 1 — The Acting Centre, 75 Cardigan St., Guelph. May 4 — Fantasy Forged Cards & Collectibles, 113 Broadway, Orangeville. May 4 — The Blackwolf Smokehouse, 139 Broadway, Orangeville.
Hamilton Spectator
08-05-2025
- Health
- Hamilton Spectator
Toronto Public Health is starting to suspend students over their vaccine records. Here's what to do if you've received a letter
Toronto Public Health has started to issue suspensions to some of the thousands of Toronto high school students whose records aren't up to date on required vaccinations. In a statement, the agency said over 10,000 Grade 11 students born in 2008 aren't caught up on immunizations in accordance with Ontario's Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA). TPH is gradually rolling out these suspension orders, starting with 21 secondary schools, from which an initial group of 173 pupils were suspended Tuesday — a number that has since decreased to 131, according to Dr. Vinita Dubey. Dubey, TPH's associate medical officer of health, told the Star on Wednesday the decline in the suspensions is due to more vaccinations or valid exemptions being reported after the initial suspension orders. As of Wednesday, of a second group of students from another 20 public Toronto high schools, 268 Grade 11 students are being suspended. 'Every day there's going to be more and more students who will be suspended. And hopefully more and more students who will also come off the suspension list,' she said. Suspensions will be sent across Toronto post-secondary schools on a rolling schedule until May. TPH says from the first batch of students at the 21 schools, the records of 957 students — about 70 per cent — weren't up to date at first, which means they received a letter from TPH about the missing vaccinations. A month later, 58 per cent were up to date. The remaining 574 students were sent suspension orders. Ontario is experiencing one of its largest measles outbreaks in decades though most recent vaccine suspensions are related to other diseases . The ISPA requires students to be vaccinated for diphtheria, tetanus, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, meningococcal disease and pertussis (whooping cough). Students must also receive the vaccine for varicella — commonly known as chickenpox — if they're born in 2010 or later. Under this act, immunizations for the nine diseases are mandatory unless a valid exemption is on file, for medical, religious or conscientious reasons. Failure to meet these requirements could lead to a suspension from school for up to 20 days. During the COVID-19 pandemic, routine school-based vaccination programs for Grade 7 students were mostly unavailable, resulting in a number of current Grade 11 students falling behind on vaccinations for hepatitis B, HPV and meningococcal vaccines. Dubey said it's normal for parents and students to take a while to respond to these letters due to factors including language barriers for newcomers and situations when parents don't recognize 'this is something that has to be dealt with right away, or even that there's a suspension associated with this.' The agency doesn't just rely on the letter to inform parents but also sends the suspension list to principals to contact students' parents. Immunization assessments were conducted by TPH starting in the fall, revealing that of the 24,678 students born in 2008, only 26 per cent were initially on record with their vaccinations, prompting the agency to send letters to the families of 18,320 students missing immunizations. By February, 59 per cent of students were up to date — but the remaining 10,000 who didn't meet the ISPA got notices that if they didn't provide updated information to TPH, they would be suspended. Dubey said sometimes the onus is on parents to contact TPH to provide a child's up-to-date immunization record to avoid suspension, even if their child has already received their required vaccines. This is because sometimes TPH doesn't have all records or the child might be missing a booster dose. 'What parents don't recognize is their child may be fully vaccinated and they did the right thing and they got the vaccination,' she said. 'But unfortunately, there's no way for the physician to report the vaccination directly to public health. And so this is where the parent actually has to report the vaccination to us,' she said, adding that they're 'better off' contacting TPH to make sure the record is up to date. TPH says this 'underscores the importance of an electronic immunization registry .' TPH can help clarify to parents what vaccines their children are missing and Dubey says 'as long as we know that the child has started the process of getting vaccinations, we can pause the suspension.' Parents and students can call TPH (416-338-7600) for questions.
Hamilton Spectator
02-05-2025
- Health
- Hamilton Spectator
Hundreds more Hamilton students out of class for vaccine suspensions
More than a thousand Hamilton students missing vaccination records were suspended in what public health has said is the final wave for the school year. On Friday, 1,215 elementary students at Catholic schools, as well as students at French and private schools, were removed from class, associate medical officer of health Dr. Brendan Lew said in an email. Seven hundred of this group remained suspended as of Monday. This is the third round of post-pandemic enforcement, which numbers show has been effective in ensuring records are up to date. Of the 3,197 Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board elementary students missing records in January, 76 hadn't complied following suspensions of up to 20 days, the maximum time permitted under the Immunization of School Pupils Act. Among public and Catholic high school students, 316 were still missing records after 20-day suspensions, down from 7,615 in March. To comply with the act, Ontario students must submit proof of vaccination against nine illnesses — diphtheria, mumps, tetanus, polio, rubella, pertussis, varicella (if born after 2010), measles and meningococcal disease — to public health units, or request an exemption for medical or religious or philosophical reasons. As of late March, 4.5 per cent of Hamilton students were exempt, up from less than 2.5 per cent about a year ago and nearly three per cent before the pandemic in 2018-19. It's a 'worrisome' figure, Dawn Bowdish, a professor in the department of medicine at McMaster University, said at the time. The March rate was lower among elementary students at 3.9 per cent, and higher among secondary students at 6.3 per cent. About six per cent are exempt in Haldimand-Norfolk, the location of a measles outbreak of more than 100 cases, The Spectator reported in March. The highly contagious disease continues to spread in Ontario, with one case confirmed in Hamilton earlier this year. In Brantford and Brant County, the exemption rate is lower at about four per cent. Students without records or an exemption return to school after 20 days and 'would be subject to future enforcement' in future school years, Lew said. Public health will continue to remind these families to update their records. Planning for next year is 'ongoing,' he said, noting that elementary cohorts that didn't undergo enforcement this year, which includes those born between 2013 and 2016, will be prioritized.
