Toronto and Ottawa Students Lag in Vaccination Compliance

Public health records indicate a significant number of students in Toronto and Ottawa are not compliant with vaccination requirements as the fall vaccination season begins. More than half of the students assessed this year lack up-to-date immunization records, according to a report by The Canadian Press.

Toronto Public Health (TPH) has revealed that it sent approximately 60,000 letters to parents of Grade 2 to Grade 5 students over the summer. This action targeted students who had not submitted their vaccination records, as they are required to be immunized against nine diseases to attend school. By early October, about 54%, or around 50,000 students, remained non-compliant. TPH warned that these students will receive suspension notices if their vaccination records are not updated in the coming months.

The situation is particularly concerning among elementary school students, with some grades reporting compliance rates as low as 25%. In Ottawa, the public health unit reported that as of October 12, 2023, immunization records were not up to date for approximately 16,000 students in Grades 2 to 12, representing over 66% of that cohort.

Ontario mandates that parents submit immunization records to public health units. These units also send notifications to households that have not complied or have requested vaccine exemptions. The timing of this push for compliance is critical, as vaccination rates across Canada are declining amid widespread misinformation online.

Measles Outbreak Raises Concerns

Canada is currently facing the risk of losing its measles-free status due to a year-long outbreak affecting more than 5,000 individuals. This status will be reviewed later this year by the Pan American Health Organization, which requires Canada to demonstrate vaccination rates of 95% or higher, alongside the capacity to identify and contain outbreaks, in order to maintain its elimination status.

Dr. Michelle Murti, Toronto’s medical officer of health, emphasized the need for a more efficient system for tracking vaccination records. “We’ve been screaming from the rooftops for years on this issue,” she stated. The idea is to have health providers input vaccination records directly into a central provincial or national registry.

Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Kieran Moore, supports this initiative but acknowledges the complexity of consolidating data from various healthcare providers, which currently operate with differing systems. The Ontario Ministry of Health has indicated that it is working on improving access to vaccination records, but a timeline for this enhancement has not yet been established.

With ongoing health challenges and potential public health repercussions, the urgency for compliance and improved tracking of immunization records is more pressing than ever.