Northern health units remind parents to submit vaccine records

Health units in Northern Ontario are reminding parents to keep their children’s immunization records up to date.

Algoma Public Health and Public Health Sudbury & Districts said they sent out thousands of letters to that effect.

"We are working right now to go through the Immunization of School Pupils Act and have sent 4,000 letters out to families as a reminder to submit their records to Algoma Public Health," said Kristy Harper, director of health protection for Algoma Public Health.

Brenda Stankiewicz, a public health nurse with Public Health Sudbury & Districts said lack of access to primary health care could be one reason for lagging vaccine records.

"People weren’t able to see their health care providers," Stankiewicz said, adding that some parents could have simply forgotten to submit their child’s records.

Up-to-date immunizations for students are required with some exceptions to avoid suspension from school.

"There may also be some of us who don’t have the connections of the stories and the experiences of what it would have been like prior to having vaccines," said Harper.

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"Certainly, vaccines are something that can speak for themselves, the safety and efficacy; they’ve been around for decades."

"Without the experience of the illness, it’s hard to really imagine just how serious the illness is," said Stankiewicz.

 

As measles cases are popping up in other parts of the province, Algoma Public Health reports more than 98 per cent vaccine coverage for measles, while Public Health Sudbury shows 95 per cent coverage.

However, these numbers are pre-pandemic and may not reflect current vaccination rates.

Algoma Public Health reports more than 98 per cent vaccine coverage for measles, while Public Health Sudbury shows 95 per cent coverage.