Did you know…

Chatham-Kent Public Health is required by Ontario law to maintain immunization records for every child attending daycare and school. The Health Unit assesses immunization records to ensure they are accurate and up-to-date. This is done to protect your child in the event of an outbreak of a vaccine preventable disease.

By law, these immunizations are mandatory: diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, meningitis, varicella, measles, mumps and rubella.

• Many parents think their healthcare provider reports the dates but this is not the case.
• It is the parents’ responsibility to provide a child’s record to the health unit and update it when needed.

Parents who choose not to immunize their child for medical or other reasons have the option of filing an exemption.

The Health Unit, Canadian Paediatric Society and Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization all strongly recommend vaccinating your child, as it is the best way to prevent illness and death by these serious diseases. Medical authorities worldwide strongly support this fact. Vaccines used in Canada are very safe with an extremely low risk of serious side effects. In fact, the risk of severe complications from disease is much greater than any risk associated with vaccines.

If you have questions about immunizations or would like to speak to a vaccine nurse, contact the Chatham-Kent Public Health Unit at 519-355-1071 ext. 5900 or visit our website at: www.chatham-kent.ca/health.