Ottawa Public Health is reminding parents to add vaccinations for children to the back-to-school to do list. Under Ontario law, children attending elementary and secondary school must be immunized against diphtheria, tetanus, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, meningitis (meningococcal disease), and whooping cough (pertussis). Children born in or after 2010 must also be vaccinated against varicella (chicken pox). “Certain vaccines are required for school attendance such as vaccines against measles, polio, tetanus, and pertussis,” the health unit said on Facebook. “If you have a child starting kindergarten this fall, now is a good time to make sure their vaccination records are updated with us!” Health officials say you can update your child’s immunization record by submitting their records online, through the Immunization Connect Ontario Tool (ICON), or the CANImmunize App. In Ontario, health care providers do not automatically report immunizations to their local public health unit and parents and guardians are responsible for reporting immunization records. Last December, Ottawa Public Health issued suspension notices to seven-year-old and 17-year-old students with out-of-date vaccination records.
