Immunization Requirements for School

Have you received a letter from Ottawa Public Health?

Ottawa Public Health (OPH) is starting its yearly check of children's immunization records to make sure they meet the requirements of the Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA). You are responsible for updating OPH every time your child gets a vaccine. This year, OPH will send notices to students born in 2007 and 2017. To attend school in Ontario, students need to be vaccinated against nine diseases or have a medical or religious/philosophical exemption. 

Under the "Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA)", children attending school in Ontario are required to be vaccinated against:

• Diphtheria
• Tetanus
• Pertussis (whooping cough)
• Polio
• Measles
• Mumps
• Rubella
• Meningococcal 
• Varicella (chicken pox) - for children born in 2010 or later

We understand that this process can be stressful, and we are here to help. If you received a letter from Ottawa Public Health and need assistance, please call 613-580-6744 and listen to the menu options carefully.

Why did I receive a Notice of Incomplete Immunization Record from OPH?

If your child's immunization record is missing information, you will receive a "Notice of Incomplete Immunization Record". This notice will show what vaccines are missing and how to update the record with OPH. You have 1 month to update the record before a "Suspension Order" is sent. This gives you another month to update the record before the suspension starts. The suspension can last up to 20 school days if no action is taken.

You received this letter for one or more of the following reasons: 

• OPH does not have an immunization record on file for your child.
• Your child is missing one or more required vaccines to meet Ontario’s immunization requirements for school attendance.
• Your child might be up to date with all of their required immunizations; however, you did not provide OPH with their most recent vaccine information.
• Your child may have received invalid doses that do not meet the immunization requirements under the Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA).
• OPH has not received a Ministry approved standardized medical or non-medical exemption form for your child to be exempted from receiving immunizations.

For more detailed information on the notice and requirements, go to "Frequently Asked Questions About Immunizations" 

Why did I receive a Suspension Order from OPH?

You received a Suspension Order for one of the following reasons: 

• OPH did not receive the missing information. There is still time to update OPH and avoid suspension if information is received before the suspension start date provided on the Suspension Order. If suspension has started, contact OPH at 613-580-6744 to review what is required to cancel the suspension.

• OPH received your update after the “Update By Date” provided on the Notice of Incomplete Immunization letter. A Suspension Order is automatically generated if an update is not received by the deadline.

Immunization updates received online or by fax may take 5-10 business days to be processed. Once information has been processed, you will receive an email or automated voice message confirming if your child’s record is up to date or not. If you received confirmation that your child’s record is up to date, please disregard the Suspension Order you received. If you have not received confirmation, contact OPH at 613-580-6744 to review what is required to cancel the suspension.

What do I need to do?

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• Review your child’s immunization record. Compare the immunization record OPH has on file for your child (shown in your Notice), with your immunization records at home and with your child’s health care provider. Only vaccines required for attending a school are shown in your Notice.
• If your child has received their vaccines, update your child’s immunization record with Ottawa Public Health.
• If your child has not received their vaccines, please have your child receive their vaccines through their healthcare provider, a walk-in clinic or through one of the Ottawa Public Health immunization clinics. If your child has a healthcare provider but cannot get an appointment before the suspension start date, do not cancel the appointment. Instead, you can contact OPH at 613-580-6744 and notify us of the appointment details to prevent the suspension.  As soon as the missing vaccines(s) are received you will need to update the file with OPH to avoid future suspension.
  

• If you do not have copies of your child’s immunization record, contact your health care provider to obtain a copy.
• New to Canada or Ontario? Before your child attends a school in Ottawa, we recommend that you contact your health care provider or OPH to assess your child's immunization record. This will ensure that your child's immunizations are up to date according to the Publicly Funded Immunization Schedules for Ontario, and that they are fully protected against vaccine preventable diseases.

Listen to Dr. Trevor and Nurse Katie as they chat about school immunization surveillance

Additional information 

• View Ontario’s Publicly Funded Immunization Schedule to find out which vaccine your child needs next. 
• Vaccine safety
• Frequently asked questions about immunizations