Immunizations for School-Aged Children

TBDHU does not provide vaccines to children of this age at school. However, it’s important for parents/guardians to know that between 4 and 6 years old, children should receive the following vaccines:

• tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis, polio
• measles, mumps, rubella, chicken pox
• COVID-19 vaccines (first and second dose along with a booster)

Children may be missing one or more of the following vaccines due to challenges accessing primary care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Unsure if Doses are Missing

• Check your child’s ICON (Immunization Connect ONtario) account which lists the vaccines they have received, other than the COVID-19 vaccine. Access your account, or learn more they don’t have one, by visiting TBDHU.COM/immunizations OR contact the TBDHU at 625-5900 or by sending an email to vaccines@tbdhu.com (first name/phone). Those living in the district should contact their nearest branch office.
• Contact your child’s health care provider.

Need to Catch Up

• Contact your health care provider to make an appointment.
  • No provider and living in Thunder Bay and surrounding rural communities? TBDHU can refer your child to a community provider.  Call 625-5900 OR send a message to vaccines@tbdhu.com (first name and phone number).
• COVID-19 vaccines are available through a variety of channels including health care providers, pharmacies and TBDHU clinics.

Need to Submit Records - Especially Important if Starting School in September

• TBDHU does not have access to records of vaccines given by community providers unless the provider or the parent submits them to the vaccine program.
• Ask your provider if this is part of their practice. If not, families can submit the vaccine record through their child’s ICON account or by fax (807-625-4828) or mail (999 Balmoral Street, Thunder Bay, ON P7B 6E7).
• Having an accurate history of a child’s vaccines is important to ensure TBDHU staff can accurately assess their records, especially if they started school in September 2022.

The following vaccines will be offered to students entering Grade 7 in September of 2022 when TBDHU visits each school. For a list of school visit dates, please see the tab below that applies to the location of your child’s school.

• Meningococcal conjugate (Men-C-ACYW) vaccine (1 dose needed); eligible until the vaccine is received.
• Human papillomavirus (HPV-9) vaccine (2 doses); eligible until August 31 of their Grade 12 year; those who start the series at age 15 and older require 3 doses to complete.
• Hepatitis B vaccine (2 doses needed); students are eligible until August 31 of their Grade 12 year; those who start the series at 16 and older require 3 doses to complete.
• COVID-19 vaccines are available through a variety of channels including health care providers, pharmacies and TBDHU clinics and more information is available here.

Please see the school clinic calendar tabs below for details on how students in Grade 8 will be offered vaccines during school visits in 2022/2023 in schools across the TBDHU service area

• TBDHU will be visiting all elementary schools in the fall of 2022. See below for a calendar of dates.
• All students in Grade 7 will receive a first dose of the eligible vaccines. A consent form has been sent home and should be returned to the school by Thursday, September 15.
  • If a student misses the date to return the consent, they can still return it to the school before their clinic date. Parents/guardians can also call TBDHU to provide verbal consent at 625-5900 or email vaccines@tbdhu.com (first name and phone number) and a nurse will return the call.
• Grade 8 students at Kingsway, Sherbrooke, Pope John Paul II, Bishop Gallagher and Bishop E.Q. Jennings whose parents provided consent to Grade 7 vaccines in spring 2022 will receive their second doses (or first doses if they missed the spring clinic) when TBDHU visits theirs schools this fall
  • A new consent form WILL NOT BE SENT HOME as the consent form from 2021-2022 is still in effect.
• Grade 8 students in other schools who are missing a vaccine from 2021-2022 will be offered the vaccine when TBDHU visits their school.
  • A new consent form WILL NOT BE SENT HOME as the consent form from 2021-2022 is still in effect.
• Second dose clinic dates for 2023 will be available once set.

• TBDHU will be visiting all elementary schools in the fall of 2022. See below for a calendar of dates. The calendar will be updated as more dates are confirmed.
• All students in Grade 7 will receive a first dose of the eligible vaccines. A consent form has been sent home and should be returned to the school by the date noted on the consent form.
  • If a student misses the date to return the consent, they can still return it to the school before their clinic date. Parents/guardians can also call their nearest branch office to provide a verbal consent.
• Grade 8 students in other schools who but missed the school clinic during when they were in Grade 7 during the 2021/2022 school year (e.g. away, ill) will receive the missing doses when TBDHU visits their schools this fall IF a consent form was signed in grade 7.
• Second dose clinic dates will be scheduled for 2023 and will be posted on this webpage when available.

Students needing vaccines who are learning from home can currently access immunizations in the following ways:

• Make an appointment with their health care provider and ask the provider to report the vaccines given to TBDHU.
• Those without a health care provider should call 625-5900 to speak with a vaccine nurse OR call their nearest branch office.

Please see the school visit schedule listed below. Consents will be mailed directly to the students home address and should be returned to the school by date listed on the consent form.

School dates will be posted once available.

Students needing vaccines who are learning from home can currently access immunizations in the following ways:

• Make an appointment with their health care provider and ask the provider to report the vaccines given to TBDHU.
• Those without a health care provider should call 625-5900 to speak with a vaccine nurse OR call their nearest branch office.

If a child’s immunization record is not up-to-date according to the Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA), parents/guardians will be contacted through a letter sent home by the TBDHU. The letter will provide details and instructions so a suspension can be avoided.

If you receive a letter, please review immediately and contact a TBDHU nurse; call 625-5900 in Thunder Bay or contact your nearest branch office. To avoid suspension, always keep your child's immunizations up-to-date according to Ontario's Routine Immunization Schedule, and report all immunizations to the TBDHU.

Under the Immunization of School Pupils Act, your child can be exempted from immunization for medical reasons or due to conscience or religious belief.

For Medical Reasons

You must fill out a Statement of Medical Exemption form that has been signed by a physician or nurse practitioner and submit it to the closest office of the TBDHU. It will indicate the reason for the exemption:

• your child has a medical condition that prevents them from receiving the vaccine
• there is evidence of your child’s immunity to the disease, making further immunization unnecessary

For Conscience or Religious Belief

1. Complete a mandatory education session via video (Vaccine Education Video - YouTube) that covers:

• Basic information about immunization
• Vaccine safety
• Immunization and community health
• Immunization law in Ontario

At the end of the session, contact a TBDHU vaccine nurse at 625-5900 or toll-free at 1-888-294-6630 and discuss the next steps so you can receive a Vaccine Education Certificate signed and dated by the TBDHU.

2. Complete a Statement of Conscience or Religious Belief form and have it signed by a commissioner for taking affidavits in Ontario.
3. Make copies of your certificate and your signed Statement of Conscience or Religious Belief form and submit the originals to you’re the nearest office of the Health Unit. It is important that you keep your copy for safe keeping.

Children with exemptions may be excluded from attending school (often for several weeks) in the event of an outbreak caused by one of the vaccine-preventable diseases noted in the Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA).