March Break will be a time to recharge, have some fun, and get school-aged children's vaccinations up-to-date.
Southwestern Public Health, the health unit for Oxford and Elgin counties, plans to hold clinics in six communities around the region for parents to get their kid's routine childhood immunizations caught up. In order to attend school, children in Ontario are required under the Immunization of School Pupils Act to be vaccinated against nine illnesses including diphtheria, measles, meningococcal disease, mumps, pertussis (whooping cough), polio, rubella, tetanus, and varicella (chicken pox).
During the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic many kids fell behind on their immunizations, the health unit said.
“We know that the past couple of years have been difficult for families. Competing priorities, service interruptions, and significant changes in routine have gotten some families off track with routine childhood immunization,” said Jaime Fletcher, the health unit's chief nursing officer and vaccination program manager. “Last month, thousands of families were notified by personal letter about missing immunization records. Now is the time to act on those letters and get back on track.”
Parents of children who received a letter but are fully vaccinated are advised to obtain a copy of their child's up-to-date immunization record from their health care provider and submit it to the health unit either online, or in-person at one of the health units two main locations in St. Thomas or Woodstock. Parents whose kids are missing any of the required shots are being told to book an appointment with their family doctor or the health unit before the date indicated on the letter that was mailed out.
“It’s easy to think that these illnesses are problems of the past. However, there are pockets across the world and in this age of international travel, cases can and do show up in Ontario," said Fletcher. "By ensuring your child’s vaccination status is up-to-date you're protecting them from something that is at best uncomfortable, while keeping your school and community safe for everyone."
Upcoming vaccination clinics in Oxford and Elgin counties, including those that will be held over the March Break next week, are as follows:
Tillsonburg Public Library at 2 Library Lane - March 14 and 21 (morning only) Unifor Local Hall 88 at 364 Victoria Street in Ingersoll - March 13 (morning only) West Elgin Community Health Centre at 153 Main Street in West Lorne - March 15 (all day) East Elgin Family Health Team at 424 Talbot Street West, Unit L6 in Aylmer - March 7 and 13 (evening only) Southwestern Public Health office at 410 Buller Street in Woodstock - March 7, 9, 17, 21, 23 Southwestern Public Health office at 1230 Talbot Street in St. Thomas - March 9, 16, 23 and 30
To book an appointment for any of the routine childhood immunizations click here. Parents can upload their child's up-to-date vaccination record through the health unit's website.