The Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA) requires children and youth enrolled in school in Ontario to have received immunizations against tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella (for those born in 2010 and after) and meningococcal disease or have a valid exemption. Children aged six years and younger typically receive these vaccines from a primary care provider such as a family physician or nurse.

In Grade 7, students become eligible to receive three publicly funded vaccines to protect against meningococcal disease, hepatitis B and human papillomavirus (HPV), that are provided by public health through a school-based immunization program where nurses visit each elementary school twice a year to offer these vaccines. However, many students born in 2008 were unable to receive their routine immunizations during the COVID-19 pandemic and have fallen behind with their routine vaccination schedules.

The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit has been working with families and health care providers to ensure that all students who missed their vaccines, and who remain eligible for immunizations, book an appointment with their local health unit office or with their health care provider, to get caught up.

Although not included in ISPA, the hepatitis B and HPV vaccines are strongly recommended for all students in Grade 7. Both vaccines are extremely important and are highly effective in protecting youth and their future selves from diseases, including cancers caused by HPV.

Hepatitis B is a virus that is transmitted from an infected person’s blood, saliva, vaginal fluids and semen, which can cause chronic liver infections, cirrhosis and liver cancers, which can result in death. Many people who are infected with hepatitis B are initially unaware of the infection, and don’t realize they are infected until the disease has progressed. Although many people will clear acute infections on their own, there is still a risk of becoming a chronic carrier for unvaccinated people. The best way to protect against infection is through immunization.

HPV can cause cancers in the throat (oral pharyngeal), cervix, penis and anus, as well as cause genital warts, and is easily spread. There are over 100 types of HPV. HPV cancers and warts are seen in both men and women and the virus does not discriminate against sexual orientation. HPV is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections (STI) and it is estimated that over 75 percent of Canadians will have an HPV infection at some point in their lifetime.

It is natural for parents and caregivers to feel uncomfortable about their teens becoming sexually active and it may feel like it is too early for their kids to need protection from STIs. However, immunizations are most effective if they are received before potential exposure to disease, which means ideally getting people immunized when they are young so they are protected when they are older.

According to the Canadian Immunization Guide, the hepatitis B vaccine is 95 to 100 percent effective pre-exposure and the HPV vaccine is highly effective at building immunity to that virus. More than 99 percent of vaccine recipients develop an antibody response to vaccine HPV types after completing the series.

The health unit is strongly recommending that students who missed the opportunity to obtain their Grade 7 hepatitis B and HPV vaccines in school due to the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, get caught up. As of fall 2023, less than 30 percent of students in Simcoe Muskoka and born in 2008 received their vaccines. This means that approximately 10,000 students currently in Grade 11 still require these vaccines and remain eligible to receive them until the end of August of their Grade 12 year.

If your teen was born in 2008 and is currently missing their Grade 7 hepatitis B and/or HPV vaccines, please visit smdhu.org to book an appointment at one of our local catch-up clinics, or contact your family health care provider to book an appointment.

For more information about routine and required vaccines given to students and the diseases they prevent, please visit smdhu.org. To speak with a public health professional, call Health Connection at 705-721-7520 or 1-877-721-7520 Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Dr. Colin Lee is an Associate Medical Officer of Health at the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit. His primary responsibilities are in the areas of vaccine preventable diseases, infectious disease and sexual health.

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Monday, June 20

Clinic location: GO-VAXX Bus – Wasaga Beach RecPlex, 1724 Mosley St., Wasaga Beach

Time: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. 

Tuesday, June 21

Clinic location: POP-UP Clinic – Tay Library – J&M Branch, 715 Fourth Ave., Port McNicoll

Time: 1 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Clinic location: GO-VAXX Bus – Hillcrest Village Care Centre, 255 Russell Street, Midland, ON

Time: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. 

Wednesday, June 22 

Clinic location: GO-VAXX Bus – Huntsville Active Living Centre, 20 Park Dr., Huntsville

Time: 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. 

Thursday, June 23 

Clinic location: GO-VAXX Bus – Innisfil ideaLAB and Library, Cookstown Branch, 20 Church St., Cookstown

Time: 12 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Appointments for the GO-VAXX clinics may also be booked up to four days prior to the clinic through the  COVID-19 vaccination portal or by calling the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre at 1-833-943-3900.

The health unit continues to offer COVID-19 vaccinations on a walk-in and appointment basis at the Georgian Mall, 509 Bayfield St. (lower level) in Barrie Tuesdays 12 p.m. to 8 p.m., Wednesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and by appointment only at its office immunization clinic locations in Midland, Orillia, Cookstown, Collingwood, Huntsville and Gravenhurst. Appointments can be booked through the vaccination portal or Contact Centre as listed above.

You may also receive the vaccine at many local pharmacies or booked appointments through some primary care providers, and Family Health Teams who are offering vaccine as part of their regular clinical practice. Pop-up and GO-VAXX mobile clinics will continue to be scheduled throughout Simcoe and Muskoka.

In addition, the COVID-19 Immunization Clinic at 29 Sperling Dr. in Barrie offers walk-ins and booked appointments from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Appointments may also be booked with the Couchiching Ontario Health Team Clinic located in the Orillia Soldier’s Memorial Hospital Kiwanis Building – West Entrance 170 Colborne St., W.

When attending a clinic, individuals are encouraged to dress for the weather as they may be required to wait outdoors before entering the clinic. They are also reminded to bring identification (e.g., health card, driver’s license, passport) a list of any medications they are taking, wear a loose-fitting shirt that allows easy access to the upper arm and bring any assistive devices as needed (e.g., scooter, wheelchair, cane). Please note, all persons attending a Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit community vaccination clinic will be required to wear a mask. Masks will be made available at the entrance to all our clinics.

For more information about how to prepare for an appointment and what to expect upon arrival at the clinic, please visit SMDHU’s COVID-19 pages at smdhu.org/GetVaccinated.

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Additional COVID-19 vaccination clinics have been added to the 29 Sperling Drive vaccine clinic in Barrie for today, Friday April 23, Saturday April 24, Friday April 30 and Saturday May 1.

Those who are 60 years of age and older who have not yet booked their first dose can book an appointment directly at Ontario.ca/bookvaccine. Those who have pre-registered and have received their booking code from the ministry are encouraged to book an appointment at one of these clinics.

For more information about COVID-19 and who is now eligible to book an appointment or pre-register, please visit smdhu.org.

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Eligible groups who can pre-register include highest, very high and high priority frontline health care workers in accordance with the Ministry of Health’s Guidance on Health Care Worker Prioritization; essential caregivers of residents in long-term care and retirement homes; all Indigenous adults and their household members; and adult recipients of chronic home care. To pre-register, or for more information about COVID-19 and the vaccine roll out, visit smdhu.org.

Pre-registration helps the SMDHU collect information about appointments quickly and easily as vaccine supply becomes available. Once a person has pre-registered on the SMDHU website, they will be placed in the queue to receive a vaccine appointment. When an appointment is available, the person will be sent an email invitation from the province with a booking code to book their appointment on the provincial booking system. Note that this does not happen immediately and may take days or weeks depending on vaccine supply and demand for appointments. All appointment booking in Simcoe Muskoka will be done through the online provincial system.

Please note that adults 80 years of age and older (born anytime in 1941 or prior) are also eligible at this time; however, they cannot pre-register via SMDHU’s website. They will be able to book immunization appointments directly via the online provincial booking system or by telephone contact to provincial customer service desk being launched by the province next week. The details on this booking process will be communicated by the province as their booking process becomes available.

“More than 52,000 doses of vaccine have already been administered in Simcoe Muskoka, offering protection to those most vulnerable, including the residents of all of our long-term care facilities and retirement homes, as well as many health care workers, older adults, and Indigenous older adults” said Dr. Charles Gardner, SMDHU’s medical officer of health. “We are now transitioning into the final chapter of Phase 1, another important step in bringing the pandemic under control.”

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