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Health unit offering secondary school catch-up clinics for immunizations

January 5, 2023   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

During the pandemic, many high school students were unable to receive routing and required immunizations.

To help students get caught up, the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, in partnership with local school boards, will offer school-based clinics at high schools in Simcoe Muskoka in the new year.

In January, letters will be mailed to students and their families to notify them if the student’s record on file at the Health Unit is not up to date and what information is missing.

Nurses will be visiting local high schools in February and March 2023, to offer catch-up clinics.

Students can receive these vaccinations at an in-school clinic, or if preferred, through their healthcare provider. Students can also book an appointment to receive their vaccinations at a public health unit office.

Immunizations offered will include required vaccines – Tdap booster for 14 to 16-year-olds, Men-C-ACYW (meningitis), offered in Grade 7, and measles, mumps, and rubella if missed.

Also available are second dose varicella, (chicken pox vaccine), if missed, and Hepatitis B and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines that are offered in Grade 7, which may have been missed.

COVID-19 and influenza vaccines will not be offered at these clinics.

The Health Unit advises getting immunized according to the publicly funded immunization schedule for Ontario. Having up-to-date immunizations helps to ensure that youth have the best protection against certain preventable diseases and helps reduce the risk of outbreaks in schools.

The Health Unit is reminding parents and caregivers that vaccination against tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella and meningococcal disease is required under the Immunization of School Pupils Act. Hepatitis and HPV vaccines are strongly recommended.

Parents and caregivers are advised to update their child’s immunization records and to catch up on any outstanding routine immunizations.

Students with incomplete immunization records will receive notice from the health unit that their immunization record is not up to date in 2023.

You can find out more information about routine and mandatory vaccines given to students and the diseases they prevent by visiting smdhu.org/Grade9to12.

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