Reminders sent to 13,000 students in Waterloo region with outdated vaccination records

More than 13,000 students in Waterloo region are being reminded to update their vaccination records or face being suspended from school.

Region of Waterloo Public Health says 4,385 notices were sent to secondary school students on Dec. 10 and approximately 9,400 notices will be sent to elementary school students this week.

All students must have proof of vaccination for nine diseases — measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, polio, meningococcal, pertussis (whooping cough) and varicella (chickenpox) — or a valid exemption on file with public health under the Immunization of School Pupils Act.

“The enforcement of the Immunization of School Pupils Act protects our schools and community. As we saw with the measles outbreak last year, it also helps public health to respond quickly to outbreaks with up-to-date information to mitigate the spread of disease,” the region’s medical officer of health Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang said in a media release.

“Vaccination protects us from serious and preventable diseases,” she added.

Public health said these notices don't necessarily mean that a student isn't vaccinated, but it does indicate their records are not up-to-date.

High school students have until 4:30 p.m. on April 6 to update their records or face suspension on April 9.

Elementary students have until 4:30 p.m. on May 4 to update their records. Suspensions would take effect May 7.

The number of notices are down from last year, when public health initially sent more than 18,600 notices to students.

Last year, public health said the number of notices were "a return to pre-COVID rates.” 

In late 2023 and early 2024, 32,000 students were sent notices. Those were the first notices sent out since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vaccine records can be updated online on the Region of Waterloo's Public Health website.

Students in Guelph and Wellington County reminded, too

Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health said 1,753 high school students and 3,568 elementary students have been told their vaccination records need to be updated.

Since the letters went out and vaccine catch-up clinics were offered, just under 1,000 high school students updated their record and that leaves 770 students who still need to update their records.

Suspensions for high school students are set to begin Feb. 11.

Elementary students in the Wellington Catholic District School Board, Dufferin Peel Catholic School Board and private schools have already received their letters. Their suspension date is set for Feb. 25.

Families in the Upper Grand District School Board will receive letters next week with suspensions set to begin March 25.

Chuck Ferguson, communications manager for Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health, said the vaccine records are an important community health tool.

“If there is an outbreak of disease in a school, officials know who is at risk of getting and spreading the disease and who is protected so appropriate action can be taken to protect students and wider community,” he said in an email to CBC News.