MEMO: Record Review for ISPA Required Vaccines Resumes

TO: Health Care Providers Who Administer Vaccines to School Age Children

FROM: Niagara Region Public Health, Vaccine Preventable Disease (VPD) program

REFERENCE: Record Review for ISPA Required Vaccines Resumes

DATE: November 8, 2022

Since March 2020, Niagara Region Public Health (NRPH) has postponed the enforcement of the Immunization of School Pupil’s Act (ISPA) and is now resuming record review.

As of Nov. 1, 2022, over 29,000 children in Niagara (including individuals 18 years of age who are still in high school) are overdue and/or have not reported their vaccination information for ISPA required vaccinations. The lack of protection from vaccine preventable disease is putting these children at risk.

To reach all children who are overdue we need to work together.

Your practice plays a key role by
- Providing parents/legal guardians with vaccination records for vaccines your office has provided
- Getting children caught up on overdue vaccine doses
NRPH has resumed clinics for all age groups. Patients can contact Public Health for more information.

Communication with parents/legal guardians

NRPH will be mailing individualized Immunization Notices reminding these individuals that an up-to-date vaccination record or valid exemption needs to be provided to Public Health. These will include

The diseases Public Health is missing vaccine information on
A copy of the immunization record Public Health currently has on file for them

We are asking individuals to bring both the immunization record and the notice to their health care provider appointment.

These Immunization Notices will be mailed out in batches.

In November 2022, notices will be sent to all high school students in Niagara (16 years of age and older) or their parents/ legal guardians (under 16 years of age)
- The notice sent to students 17 years of age will indicate they are at risk of being suspended from school on May 15, 2023 if the missing vaccination information is not reported to Public Health
- Students will be asked to submit their updated records to Public Health by December 19, 2022
In January and February, notices will be sent out to parents/legal guardians with children in elementary school

Implications for your practice

Please anticipate an influx of calls to your office from parents/legal guardians seeking immunizations for their child/children
- If possible, have appointments available to help patients get caught up
- Check immunization status when you are seeing a patient for any reason and offer vaccine if needed
Ensure your office has enough vaccine to accommodate this potential demand
- Use the General Vaccine Order Form to order ISPA required vaccinations for your office
- Use the School Program Vaccine Order Form for Grade 7 vaccinations
After you administer vaccine, remind patients to report their immunization(s) to Public Health
- Please provide the immunization information so they can accurately report to Public Health
At NRPH vaccination clinics, vaccinations received are added to the provincial immunization repository (Panorama). Parents/legal guardians are also instructed to report vaccinations received to their health care provider.

Exemption information

A Statement of Medical Exemption should be completed and signed only if the vaccine is deemed to be unsafe or unnecessary for the patient because of
- Contraindication to health (e.g., allergy to a component of the vaccine)
- Laboratory confirmation of immunity or prior disease
- Clinical diagnosis of prior disease
COVID-19 vaccination is not required to attend school, so there is no exemption process for the COVID-19 vaccine in relation to school attendance
A parent/legal guardian wanting a philosophical exemption is required to complete a Statement of Conscience or Religious Belief Affidavit after completing a video education session

Reminders

The teenage tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis booster is due 10 years after the school entry booster
Please strongly recommend that all school age children stay up to date with their COVID-19 vaccinations and receive their annual flu vaccine. Additionally, Grade 7 students should be encouraged to receive Hepatitis B, meningococcal and HPV vaccinations.

More information

Contact the Vaccine Preventable Disease program at 1-888-505-6074 or 905-688-8248 ext. 7396 Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (excluding statutory holidays)
Our website will be updated later this month help answer questions parents/legal guardians may have