920 high school students in Waterloo region suspended for out-of-date vaccination records

CBC News

· Posted: May 08, 2025 9:26 AM EDT | Last Updated: May 8

There are 920 precocious schoolhouse students crossed Waterloo portion who person to enactment location Thursday aft being suspended for not having up-to-date vaccination records connected record with nationalist health.

The quality is peculiarly concerning due to the fact that there's a emergence of measles cases passim the province, Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang, the region's aesculapian serviceman of health, said successful a merchandise connected Thursday announcing the suspensions.

"Vaccination is the champion mode to support against superior illness," Wang said successful a property release.

"With the existent summation of measles successful confederate Ontario, it is particularly important to fortify immunization rates among children and youth. Ensuring that students successful our schools are protected done immunization besides helps to support the broader assemblage harmless and healthy." 

The Immunization of School Pupils Act says students indispensable beryllium vaccinated oregon person a valid exemption connected record successful bid to be school. In mid-March, much than 5,000 suspension orders were sent to secondary schoolhouse students successful Waterloo region. In immoderate cases, students are vaccinated but their records are out-of-date. They had until end-of-day connected May 7 to get their records updated.

Region of Waterloo Public Health says students who are vaccinated tin publication an assignment with nationalist wellness oregon their ain doc to get vaccinated. New oregon unreported vaccinations tin beryllium reported done the nationalist wellness website.

Waterloo portion "issued astir 9,000 suspension orders to simple schoolhouse children who don't person up-to-date vaccination records" backmost successful February. Last month, much than 1,600 students were suspended. By April 24, 70 students remained retired of class.

Guelph, Wellington a 'risk area' for measles

Measles is simply a respiratory illness caused by a contagious microorganism that spreads done the aerial and betwixt radical done breathing, coughing oregon sneezing. Public Health Ontario notes that measles remains the starring origin of vaccine-preventable deaths successful children worldwide. 

Symptoms aft a measles vulnerability tin make anyplace betwixt 7 and 21 days later. It begins with cold-like symptoms and tin aboriginal devolve into achromatic spots successful the rima and backmost of the pharynx and a reddish blotchy rash connected the look and body. 

Serious complications, specified arsenic receptor and encephalon infections, tin happen. 

Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health said connected Wednesday that it was identified arsenic a hazard country by the state due to the fact that of the assemblage spread. There were 63 probable oregon confirmed cases successful the country arsenic of Wednesday morning.

The state said earlier this week there person been much than 1,300 cases of the microorganism since October. Many of those cases are successful children.