Press Releases
SIMCOE Muskoka Regional Health Unit
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Starting this week, the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU) is partnering with the local school board to offer three routine recommended immunizations to 7th grade students at on-campus clinics: Hepatitis B, Meningococcal Conjugate (Men-C-ACYW) and human papillomavirus (HPV-9).
School immunization nurses will visit primary schools in Simcoe and Muskoka from October to December to immunize Year 7 students with the first of three free vaccines. Information will be sent through the school to these students before the on-campus clinic goes home. 8th grade students who missed vaccinations and did not complete the vaccine series in 7th grade will participate in the second round of vaccinations scheduled for April to June 2024.
“School-based immunization programs are an effective way to reach and vaccinate young people and prevent the spread of serious infectious diseases. These vaccines significantly reduce the risk of hepatitis B, meningococcal meningitis and human papillomavirus (HPV) infection Risks. The HPV-9 vaccine is important because it can significantly reduce the risk of various cancers, including throat and cervical cancer, and prevent genital warts,” said Dr. Colin Lee, SMDHU associate medical officer of health. “Vaccination remains one of the best tools we have to protect adolescents from harmful diseases before they are exposed.”
The health unit recommends immunization under Ontario’s publicly funded immunization program. Having up-to-date immunizations helps ensure students have the best protection against serious vaccine-preventable diseases, reduces the risk of outbreaks in schools and allows health departments to act quickly to prevent and control outbreaks.
The health department also reminds parents and caregivers that meningococcal disease is one of the designated diseases under the Immunization of Pupils in Schools Act (ISPA), which requires children and adolescents attending primary or secondary schools to receive appropriate immunizations unless they have A valid exemption. ISPA does not require hepatitis B and HPV vaccination, but it is strongly recommended.
For more information about the vaccines received in 7th grade and the diseases they prevent, visit smdhu.org/Grade7. You can also call Health Connection to speak with a public health professional at 705-721-7520 or 1-877-721-7520, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
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