Keep Your Children Vaccinations Up-To-Date

Ontario Provincial Immunization Program

Ontario is taking action to better protect Ontarians against diseases that can be prevented by vaccines.

The province’s new strategy, Immunization 2020, strengthens Ontario’s publicly funded immunization program over the next few years. As part of the strategy, Ontario has introduced changes to the Immunization of School Pupils Act that would include stronger requirements for school vaccine exemptions.

Under these legislative changes, parents and guardians who are considering not to immunize their children would need to participate in an education session delivered by their local public health unit in order to obtain a vaccine exemption for non-medical reasons.

As part of the Immunization 2020 strategy, the province is also:

• Seeking to offer additional vaccines and catch-up programs to children and youth through school-based clinics; and increase access to vaccines for adults and seniors through settings like Community Health Centres and hospitals before a patient is discharged.
• Launching a public education campaign on the importance of immunization, so people can make informed decisions based on facts and evidence.
• Working to make access to travel vaccines as convenient as possible to the public by exploring ways for pharmacists to give travel vaccines in local pharmacies
• Creating online resources that provide the latest research about vaccines, vaccine-preventable diseases, immunization programs, and advice on how to have positive immunization experiences for parents and kids.
• Looking for ways to improve public reporting on local vaccine coverage rates (such as by public health units, schools or school boards).
• Exploring ways for Ontarians to get their immunization records through a secure, online portal. Ontario will also explore ways to link Panorama to other electronic record systems to better collect and analyze vaccine coverage.
• Developing a comprehensive mechanism to monitor the performance of Ontario’s immunization system and progress in carrying out the 20 actions in Immunization 2020.

Vaccines in Ontario and Canada are studied and carefully and continuously monitored for their safety during development, manufacturing and after they are in public use.

Effectiveness of Ontario Immunization Program

Strengthening Ontario’s publicly funded immunization program provides patients with faster access to the right care; better home and community care; the information they need to live healthy; and a health care system that is sustainable for generations to come.

Thanks to vaccines, infectious diseases that were the leading cause of death worldwide 100 years ago are now the cause of less than five percent of all deaths in Canada.

In 1982, Ontario was first in Canada to introduce school immunization laws requiring children to be vaccinated against certain diseases in order to attend school, unless they have a valid exemption.

Adults with special medical conditions or other high-risk factors may need additional vaccines. They should talk to their healthcare provider or local public health unit about other recommended vaccines.

Ontarians thinking about having a baby should also be sure they are up-to-date with their vaccinations. This will protect babies from serious problems as they grow throughout pregnancy, and into their infancy when they are most vulnerable.

Immunization has dramatically reduced diseases that used to kill and disable hundreds of children every year in Ontario, such as diphtheria, polio and HIB (Haemophilus influenza type B).

Source: Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care