Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health has sent out over 12,000 letters to students who have been identified as overdue for routine immunizations.
As of January 2022, 37 per cent of Grade 9 students in WDG were overdue for their hepatitis B and meningitis vaccine, and 39 per cent were overdue for the HPV vaccine.
Chuck Ferguson, communications manager for the WDG Public Health, explained that there have been delays due to low attendance rates in schools and the closure of in-person classes due to COVID.
“WDG Public Health is conducting catch-up vaccine clinics in local schools and providing vaccines at our area offices and through primary care providers. We are currently providing these same vaccines for Grade 7 and 8 students,” said Ferguson.
“As we are still administering vaccines to this population group we do not have a current overdue status for MMR vaccination coverage. WDG Public Health has sent out over 12,000 letters to students who have been identified as overdue for all ISPA related vaccines.”
WDG Public Health has been offering HPV, hepatitis B, and meningitis vaccines for students in Grade 7 and Grade 8 and in high school for years.
In addition to these vaccines, they have also been offering any vaccines needed under ISPA including adacel (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis) as well as the measles mumps rubella (MMR) vaccine.
Ferguson noted that students who do not have up-to-date vaccination records on file with WDG Public Health will not be prevented from attending school as vaccinations have been disrupted due to the pandemic.
“ISPA vaccinations have been disrupted due to COVID and students will not be penalized but encouraged to get their outstanding vaccinations as soon as possible through a WDG Public Health clinic or through their primary care provider,” he said.
WDG students are not the only ones missing their routine vaccinations. According to a 2021 report by the World Health Organization and the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 22 million infants worldwide missed their first dose of the measles vaccine in 2020. It's an increase of three million from 2019 — the largest increase in two decades.
Countrywide, the delayed vaccination rates among children are one in four, according to 19 to Zero, a group that promotes safe vaccination behaviour.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the vaccine status of WDG students. WDG Public Health is working with school boards, community partners and parents to increase these rates through school and community clinics and with the support of primary care,” said Ferguson.
