Chatham-Kent Public Health is required by law in Ontario to maintain immunization records for every child attending a licensed childcare centre. 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.

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

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

Public Health, Canadian Pediatric Society and Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) strongly recommend immunizing 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 the risk associated with vaccines.

If you have questions about immunizations or would like to speak to a vaccine nurse, call us at 519-355-1071 ext. 5900 or visit: www.chatham-kent.ca/health