MEMO: Impact of Postal Strike on Immunization Record Review

TO: Health Care Professionals in the Niagara Region

FROM: Vaccine Preventable Disease program, Niagara Region Public Health

REFERENCE: Impact of Postal Strike on Immunization Record Review

DATE: December 13, 2024

Immunization record review provides point in time insight into vaccination coverage in Niagara. At the beginning of November, Niagara Region Public Health (NRPH) was preparing for the annual review of student immunization records, as required by the Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA). However, the ongoing postal strike has disrupted our ability to send immunization reminder notice letters to over 13,000 students with incomplete or non-compliant records.

While mail services remain suspended, NRPH will start actively communicating key messages to students and their families in January 2025, which include:

Ensuring that your child’s immunization record or exemption information is up-to-date with Public Health
Reporting vaccinations through Immunization Connect (ICON), a secure online system for tracking and reporting immunizations
Catching up on any missing vaccines and reporting them via ICON

Please anticipate calls to your office from parents/legal guardians seeking immunizations for their child/ren.

We will continue to monitor the situation and provide an update on the status of the 2024-2025 record review.

Health Care Provider Action

Have appointments available for students who need to get caught up on vaccinations
If you need a patient’s immunization record in order to provide service, follow the instructions in the October Physicians’ Newsletter for Accessing and Updating Immunization Records
Order new immunization record resources for your office. This includes updated notification and how to access your immunization record tear-off pads and poster.
Ensure your office has enough vaccine to accommodate this potential demand
- Use the General Vaccine Order Form for ISPA required vaccines
- Use the School Program Vaccine Order Form for Grade 7 vaccines
Remind parents/legal guardians and children 16 years of age and older that they are responsible for reporting their vaccines directly to Public Health

Reminders

The teenage Tdap booster is due 10 years after the dose given between 4 – 6 years of age
A Statement of Medical Exemption should be completed and signed only if the vaccine is deemed to be unsafe or unnecessary for the patient due to:
- Contraindication to health (e.g., allergy to a component of the vaccine)
- Laboratory confirmation of immunity or prior disease
- Clinical diagnosis of prior disease

2023-2024 Immunization Record Review: Vaccination Coverage in Niagara

Thanks to our collective efforts of getting students from JK – Grade 12 caught up on missing vaccination(s), Niagara saw a significant improvement in the vaccination coverage rate from January to March of 2024:

Diphtheria: from 63% in January to 91% in March
Measles: from 78% in January to 92% in March
Meningococcal disease: from 78% in January to 93% in March
Mumps: from 78% in January to 92% in March
Pertussis: from 63% in January to 91% in March
Polio: from 76% in January to 93% in March
Rubella: from 86% in January to 94% in March
- Vaccination coverage rate is higher because only a single does is recommended for rubella protection
Tetanus: from 83% in January to 91% in March
Varicella: from 66% in January to 91% in March

Vaccination Coverage in Niagara as of December 8, 2024

As vaccination is a continuous process across the lifespan, coverage rates change depending on when each child is due for their next vaccination. The vaccination coverage for students in JK – Grade 12 on Dec. 8, 2024 is:

Diphtheria: 85.62%
Measles: 91.90%
Meningococcal disease: 93.18%
Mumps: 91.70%
Pertussis: 85.45%
Polio: 89.42%
Rubella: 95.23%
Tetanus: 85.79%
Varicella: 89.06%

Vaccination coverage is critical given the number of measles, pertussis and mumps cases in Ontario this year. The Public Health Agency of Canada states that there is more progress needed across all age groups to increase vaccine coverage. National targets are being reassessed and updates are expected in 2025.

For More Information

Aboutkidshealth.ca/card has CARD System (Comfort, Ask, Relax, Distract) education and implementation resources for health care providers to improve the vaccination experience for patients. Downloadable resources for patients can also be accessed on the website.
Call the Vaccine Preventable Disease program at 905-688-8248 or 1-888-505-6074 ext. 7396