In an unprecedented action to protect public health, Region of Waterloo Public Health has suspended 1,624 elementary school students. This action is taken due to the over a year old vaccination records, as mandated under the Immunization of School Pupils Act. Those are the questions authorities are facing as they respond to growing measles outbreak in Ontario. Through strict enforcement of vaccination requirements, they are protecting the health of students and their communities by stopping the spread of preventable infectious diseases.
The Immunization of School Pupils Act also explicitly requires students to be vaccinated. These vaccines help to protect children from disastrous diseases like diphtheria, tetanus, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, meningococcal disease and whooping cough (pertussis). Students born in 2010 or after need to be vaccinated against varicella (chicken pox). Should they decide that vaccination isn’t for them, they are required to turn in an exemption form. We all must do our part to ensure compliance with these comprehensive vaccination requirements in order to keep our schools safe.
Public health authorities keep detailed vaccination files on every single student. That’s everyone in the state—including those lucky enough to attend public, private and Catholic schools. This regulation gives health officials the tools needed to track vaccination status. More importantly, it allows them to act quickly when they find records out of date. The recent suspensions highlight how critical these records are to continue combating the measles outbreak still ongoing in our communities and keeping everyone safe.
The action from the Region of Waterloo Public Health in suspending students was not taken lightly. This decision is indicative of a larger plan to combat the spread of measles and other vaccine preventable diseases. Health officials maintain vaccination mandates to increase immunization rates. This multi-pronged approach will address the risk of outbreaks in schools and the surrounding community.
Families of the impacted students have been notified. They have now been tasked with ensuring that any child returning to school has an up to date vaccination record. Public health officials encourage families to review their children’s vaccination status and consult healthcare providers to ensure compliance with the Immunization of School Pupils Act.
