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SMDHU urges families to update vaccines

March 3, 2023   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit is reminding families about the vital role that routine immunizations play in protecting children and youth from preventable diseases.

Routine vaccines are safe, effective and prevent the spread of disease. Having up-to-date immunizations helps to ensure that children and youth have the best protection and helps to reduce the risk of outbreaks in schools.

The health unit advises getting immunized according to the publicly funded immunization schedule for Ontario. This includes vaccinations against tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella and meningococcal disease. These vaccines are required under the Immunization of School Pupils Act.

The pandemic created challenges that led to many children and youth missing routine immunizations.

During February and March, school immunization nurses from the health unit will be visiting Simcoe Muskoka secondary schools to offer catch-up clinics to secondary school students who have missed required vaccines and those that missed vaccines normally given during Grade 7.

In January, the health unit sent letters to families of students whose immunization records are incomplete, and they were notified of missing information.

During school-based catch-up clinics, health unit nurses will offer the required vaccines for Tdap booster for 14 to 16-year-olds, Men-C-ACYW, and measles, mumps, and rubella, if missed.

Also offered are second dose varicella, if missed, but not mandatory, and Hepatitis B and human papillomavirus vaccines that are offered in Grade 7 if missed. This is not mandatory but strongly recommended.

Vaccines for COVID-19 and influenza will not be available at these clinics.

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