Over 1,000 students at London-Middlesex schools could be facing a suspension if their immunization records are not addressed.
Since the beginning of the school year, the Middlesex-London Health Unit has sent out around 1,100 letters to parents to inform them that their child is missing immunization information or requires an immunization.
Marlene Price, manager of vaccine preventable diseases with the health unit, says those parents will have six to eight weeks to bring their children's records up to date.
"If we're still missing information, we proceed to the next step, which is we send parents a notice of suspension," says Price.
There are nine vaccines that elementary and secondary students are required to have under the Immunization of School Pupils Act. Some of these include diphtheria, measles, mumps, poliomyelitis, rubella and tetanus.
Students will remain suspended from school until the health unit receives updated immunization information or an exemption request form, which can be considered for medical reasons or for religious/personal beliefs.
Out of all of the current student records the health unit has on file, Price says there are about 3% who have exemptions on record.
"It's a bit concerning because it's increasing slowly, but it is increasing," she says. "A few years ago, it was around 2% of parents who had opted not to have their children immunized. And that number has been slowly creeping up."
With about 140 elementary and 30 secondary schools between the two school boards in London-Middlesex, the health unit's notification process is expected to last until around April. The recent 1,100 notifications only impact students at around 20 local elementary and secondary schools.
"It's a bit of a long process, but we want to ensure that the children in school are protected and have the immunizations that they need," says Price.
