MEMO: Anticipate Possible Increase in Appointments for Missed Vaccines

TO:  Health Care Providers Who Administer Vaccines to School-Aged Children 

FROM: Vaccine Preventable Disease program (VPD program)

REFERENCE: Anticipate Possible Increase in Appointments for Missed Vaccines

DATE:  May 28, 2019

In May and June, Niagara Region Public Health (NRPH) is sending letters to families of these children

• Students in high school eligible to catch-up on their HPV vaccination series
• Elementary school students who have incomplete immunization records on file at public health

HPV Catch-Up Vaccinations

• NPRH is mailing about 3,500 letters to families with children who either did not start or did not complete the HPV vaccine series, encourage them to get caught-up
• Your office may get requests for HPV appointments as families try to get the vaccine while it is publicly funded
• HPV catch-up is currently publicly funded for the following students until they complete high school (i.e.  August 31st of their last year of high school)

1. Females in grade  9 – 12 
2. Males in grade 9

Elementary Students with Incomplete Immunization Records

• NPRH is mailing almost 9,000 letters to parents and legal guardians of children under 7 years of age, notifying them that their child’s vaccination record on file at public health is not up-to-date
• Your office may get increased calls for childhood vaccinations
• A Statement of Medical Exemption should be signed only if the vaccine is deemed to be unsafe (e.g. allergic to a component of the vaccine) or unnecessary (e.g. already immune from natural infection, or has serologic evidence of immunity)

Please Review Your Vaccine Needs

• Use the School Program Vaccine Order Form or the High Risk Vaccine Order Form to order HPV9 for your office
• Use the General Vaccine Order Form for other childhood vaccinations 

For More Information

Contact the VPD program at 1-888-505-6074 or 905-688-8248 ext. 7396.