Beginning next week, Public Health Nurses will be visiting all secondary schools across Grey Bruce to provide immunizations to students that require their 10 year tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (whooping cough) booster. In addition, nurses will offer polio, measles, mumps and rubella, hepatitis B and meningococcal C immunizations.

Prior to the clinics, all students who require these vaccines should receive a consent form, through the school, indicating what vaccines are needed. Parents should review these form(s) with their children and sign for consent. If the vaccine(s) have been received at physicians’ offices or from any other healthcare provider, please indicate on the form the vaccine and date administered, and have your child to return it to the nurse the day of the clinic. At this time, there is no automatic access or sharing of health records between physicians’ offices, other healthcare providers and Public Health. Therefore, it is the parent’s responsibility to update Public Health every time their child receives a vaccine.

Students are able to sign their own consent form under the Health Care Consent Act, in the event that they do not have signed parental consent.

Students will receive documentation to take home indicating what vaccines the nurses gave the day of the clinic. Please update any personal records with this information and keep in a safe area for future reference.

For further information on the vaccine(s) that your child will be receiving at the school or the date the nurses will be going to your child’s school, please call Public Health at 519-376-9420 or 1-800-263-3456 and speak with a nurse in the Vaccine Preventable Diseases Program.