Toronto and Ottawa Students Face Vaccine Compliance Issues

Public health records in Toronto and Ottawa reveal significant non-compliance with vaccination requirements among students. More than half of the assessed student cohorts in these cities have not updated their immunization records for this year, as reported by The Canadian Press. This situation raises concerns as students prepare for the upcoming fall vaccination season, which includes flu and COVID-19 vaccines.

Toronto Public Health indicated that it sent out approximately 60,000 letters over the summer to students in Grades 2 to 5 who had not submitted their immunization records. The deadline for compliance is fast approaching, with about 54%, or around 50,000 students still failing to meet vaccination requirements. If records are not updated in the coming months, these students may receive suspension notices. Alarmingly, in some grades, as few as 25% of students have current vaccinations, particularly affecting elementary school populations.

In Ottawa, the situation is similarly troubling. As of October 12, 2023, around 16,000 students in Grades 2 to 12 had not updated their immunization records, accounting for more than 66% of that cohort. Ontario mandates that parents submit immunization records to local public health units, which also contact households that have not complied or have applied for vaccine exemptions.

The timing of these compliance issues is critical, especially as vaccination rates in Canada continue to decline amidst a surge of misinformation online. There are increasing fears that Canada could lose its measles-free status due to an ongoing outbreak that has affected more than 5,000 individuals over the past year. The Pan American Health Organization is set to make a determination on Canada’s vaccination status later this year, requiring proof that vaccination rates have improved to 95% or higher and that effective measures are in place to identify and control outbreaks.

Dr. Michelle Murti, Toronto’s medical officer of health, emphasized the need for a more streamlined system, advocating for vaccination records to be entered directly into a centralized provincial or national registry. “We’ve been screaming from the rooftops for years on this issue,” Dr. Murti stated. This sentiment is echoed by Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Kieran Moore, who acknowledges the challenge of consolidating data from various healthcare providers that use different systems.

The Ontario Ministry of Health has confirmed that it is working on enhancing access to vaccination records for the public, although a timeline for this initiative has not yet been established. As the fall vaccination season approaches, public health officials stress the importance of compliance to protect the health of students and the broader community.