SIMCOE MUSKOKA – Beginning this week, the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU) in partnership with local school boards, will resume school-based clinics to complete the series of routine immunizations for Grade 7 students and offer catch-up opportunities to students in Grade 8 who missed completing their grade 7 vaccine series.
SIMCOE MUSKOKA – Beginning this week, the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU) in partnership with local school boards, will resume school-based clinics to complete the series of routine immunizations for Grade 7 students and offer catch-up opportunities to students in Grade 8 who missed completing their grade 7 vaccine series.
School immunization nurses will visit elementary schools throughout Simcoe and Muskoka from April to June to provide immunization for Grade 7 students. Information will be sent home with students through the school in advance of school-based clinics.
Vaccination remains one of the best tools we have available to protect youth against harmful diseases before they may encounter them. The vaccines offered during the school-based clinics significantly reduce the risk of hepatitis B, meningococcal meningitis, and human papillomavirus (HPV) infections. The HPV vaccine is important because it considerably reduces the risk of various types of cancers such as throat and cervical cancer and prevents genital warts.
The health unit recommends following Ontario’s publicly funded immunization schedule to stay up to date with vaccinations. Parents and caregivers should be aware that the meningococcal vaccine is required under the Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA). According to ISPA, all children and youth in elementary and secondary schools must be immunized against specific diseases unless they have a valid exemption. While the Hepatitis B and HPV vaccines are not required under ISPA, they are highly recommended for added protection.
Having up-to-date immunizations helps to ensure that students have the best protection against serious vaccine preventable diseases, reduces the risk of outbreaks in schools and allows the health unit to act quickly to prevent and control outbreaks.
To see the date that the health unit will be visiting your child’s school or for more information about the vaccines given in Grade 7 and the diseases they prevent, visit smdhu.org/Grade7 or call the health unit at 705-721-7520 ext. 8827.
