Ontario is helping children and youth stay healthy by requiring their immunizations to be up to date before they return to school in September. The province has updated the immunization requirements for the 2014/15 school year to include new mandatory immunizations and dose requirements that align with changes to Ontario’s publicly funded immunization program.

Keeping children safe from disease at school is something Liz Sandals, the Ontario Minister of Education, take seriously. “The health and safety of our students is a top priority for our government. That’s why it’s so important that all school-aged children have updated immunization records. This will ensure Ontario parents have peace of mind that our schools are safe and healthy places for their children to learn”, said Liz Sandals, Ontario Minister of Education.

All students attending primary or secondary school this fall will need to have proof of immunization against three more diseases: meningococcal disease, whooping-cough and -for children born in 2010 or later — chickenpox. This is in addition to updated dose requirements for tetanus, diphtheria, polio and mumps immunizations. Requirements for measles and rubella immunizations have not changed.

Due to vaccines, infectious diseases that were the leading cause of death worldwide 100 years ago are now the cause of less than five per cent of all deaths in Canada.

Parents should take the following steps to ensure that their children meet the new immunization requirements:

• Double-check with their doctor, nurse practitioner or local public health unit to make sure their children’s immunization records are up to date.
• Make sure that their child’s updated immunization record has been reported to their local public health unit.

Once the school year begins, parents will be contacted by the local public health unit if catch-up immunizations are required.