Windsor Essex County Health Unit
Student Immunization and School Suspension
Staying up-to-date with immunizations
is important for everyone. Many
vaccine-preventable diseases are still
common in some parts of the world and can
be brought home by travellers. Some groups
of people are at a higher risk of getting sick
or having long-term health problems if they
come in contact with someone carrying a
vaccine-preventable disease. By keeping
your family immunized, you can help keep
them healthy and help stop the spread of
disease in our community.
Did you know that there is a law in
Ontario to make sure children have
up-to-date immunizations?
The Immunization of School Pupils Act
(ISPA) became law in 1990. It helps protect
everyone’s health by ensuring school-aged
children are up-to-date with their
vaccinations. Public Health Units are
required to keep track of this information.
In order to attend school in Ontario,
there are nine vaccines children need to
have a record of:
• Diphtheria
• Pertussis
• Tetanus
• Polio
• Measles
• Mumps
• Rubella
• Meningococcal Disease
• Varicella (chickenpox) * proof of this
vaccine is required for children born in 2010
or later.
Have you received a letter about your
child’s record?
In the spring of 2016, the
Make sure your child’s
immunization record is up-to-date
with the Windsor-Essex County
Health Unit to avoid school
suspension.
Click here for more information
about vaccines and schools
Windsor-Essex County Health Unit sent
notices home with children ages 7 and 17
who were found to be missing one or more
of the required vaccines on their
immunization record. The notice informed
parents of which vaccine(s) were missing
for their children, how to get in touch with
the Health Unit to provide updated
immunization records, and how to book an
appointment for their child to receive the
missing vaccines.
It is important for parents to know they
are required to provide the Health Unit with
either up-to-date immunization records, or
a signed original exemption form for the
above vaccines covered under the ISPA.
Exemption forms can be obtained by calling
the Health Unit or visiting the website.
Under the ISPA, if the above actions are
not taken by September 26, 2016, students
born in 2008 with out-of-date
immunization records will be suspended
from school for up to 20 days. When
updated vaccine information is provided to
the Health Unit, the student’s immunization
record will be updated and the student, their
parents, and the school principal will be
notified that the suspension has been lifted.
In the event of an outbreak of a
vaccine-preventable disease in their school,
students with out-of-date immunization
records may be suspended. Any children
who are not up-to-date with their
immunizations could be excluded until they
receive the required vaccines, or until the
outbreak is over. This is done to prevent the
spread of disease and to protect your child.
How to make sure your child’s record
is up-to-date:
It is important to know that it is the
parent or student’s personal responsibility
to keep immunization records up-to-date
with the Health Unit. While your health care
provider signs off on your child’s yellow
card following an immunization, they are
not required to forward this information to
the Health Unit.
There are four easy ways you can
update your child’s immunization record:
1) By Phone: Call the Healthy Schools
Department at the Windsor-Essex County
Health Unit at 519-258-2146 ext. 1222 or
1-800-265-5822 ext. 1222
2) By Fax: Send a copy of the
immunization record to the Windsor-Essex
County Health Unit at 519-258-7288
3) Online: Log on to the secure online
reporting system
immune.wechealthunit.org
4) In Person: Bring your documents to
the Health Unit in person at the following
locations:
•Windsor: 1005 Ouellette Ave.
• Essex: 360 Fairview Ave. West, Suite 215
• Leamington: 33 Princess Street
Visit www.wechu.org to find more information about immunization
and other health concerns
6 The HUB -September 2016