THE PARENTING BIZ HEALTH MATTERS
Have A Child In Grade 7 To 12? Get Them Immunized Supplied By The WECHU
Is your child born between 2004 and 2009 and attends school in Windsor-Essex County? If you answered “yes”, then it’s time to check your child’s immunization record to ensure they are up to date on their vaccine series for Hepatitis B, Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) and Meningococcal disease. As per The Immunization of School Pupils Act (Ontario.ca/laws/statute/90i01), the Meningococcal vaccine is a required vaccine to attend school in Ontario. If you are not sure whether your child is up to date, you can call the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) at 519-258-2146 extension 1222. Where can your child go to receive their missed vaccines? The WECHU is hosting student catchup immunization clinics across each municipality throughout the summer months. Available locations, dates, and times are available on the booking website:
WECHU.org/getimmunized. Appointments can also be made by calling 519-258-2146 extension 4500. Has your child already received these vaccines through your healthcare provider? Students usually receive these vaccines at school-based clinics from the health unit. During the pandemic, healthcare providers were able to order these vaccines for their eligible patients. If your child received these vaccines from their health care provider, remember to report it to the WECHU through their secure online portal at: Immune.WECHU.org. Parent(s)/legal guardian(s) are responsible for updating the WECHU each time their child receives immunizations from their healthcare provider. The healthcare provider is not required to send this information to the health unit. What if your child is not up to date before the 2022-23 school year? Ensuring that students have an opportunity
BIZ X M AG A Z I N E • J U N E 2 0 2 2
to complete their vaccine series prior to the 202223 school year, is a priority for the WECHU. If your child is not up to date or does not have a valid exemption on file with the WECHU ahead of the school year, your child could receive a future suspension notice. In order to avoid this, book an appointment today! Questions? Then call the WECHU at the number listed in the first column or send an e-mail to: csh@wechu.org. The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU), in partnership with other agencies and health care providers, seeks to enable all Windsor and Essex County residents to be as healthy as possible. The Health Unit is located at 1005 Ouellette Avenue in Windsor and online at: WECHU.org.
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