Annual Assessment of Student Immunization Records

To: Ottawa Physicians and Nurse Practitioners 
Date: November 2, 2026
From: Dr. Laura Bourns, Deputy Medical Officer of Health
Subject: Annual Assessment of Student Immunization Records

Dear Colleagues,

Ottawa Public Health (OPH) has started our annual process of assessing students’ immunization records for compliance with the Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA).

To attend school in Ontario, students need to be immunized against nine vaccine preventable diseases or have a valid documented medical or religious/philosophical exemption:

• Diphtheria, measles, meningococcal diseases, mumps, pertussis, polio, rubella, tetanus, varicella (required for children born in 2010 or after).

Consistent with approaches in previous years, this year’s notices of incomplete immunization records will target two birth cohorts: students born in 2009 and 2019 (7 and 17-year-olds). OPH will be issuing suspension notices to 7- and 17-year-old students who do not respond to the mailed notices with the required information.

Process for students with incomplete immunization records

• If OPH has missing or incomplete immunization record information for a student, a “Notice of Missing Vaccine Information” will be mailed to the student’s home. The notice includes:

o   A copy of the student’s immunization record currently on file with OPH

o   Details of any missing vaccine(s)

o   Instructions on how to update the student’s immunization with OPH.

• Parents/guardians have one month to update the record before a “Suspension Order” is issued, followed by an additional month to follow-up before the suspension takes effect. Students may be suspended for up to 20 school days if no action is taken.

IMPORTANT DATES

Potential Impacts

Ottawa Public Health works with the school boards to determine the schedule for this process. Each year an attempt is made to stagger the notifications, as we recognize the increased workload these notifications may bring to your office. As these letters are distributed, you may have an increased demand for vaccination services in your practice and thus an increase in vaccine ordering may be needed. Parents may contact you to:

• Request information on their child’s immunization record
• Book an appointment for immunization

Please Note:

• If a student can only obtain an immunization appointment after the suspension start date, advise the parent/guardian to contact OPH and provide the appointment details to avoid suspension.
• Please remind parents and guardians to report all immunizations to OPH. Providers should give families vaccination documentation after each immunization so they can update their child's record. Parents and guardians can be directed to www.OttawaPublicHealth.ca/ChildVaccines for information on submitting records.

Thank you for your continued support in helping ensure your patients' immunizations are up to date and for your role in protecting Ottawa residents from vaccine-preventable diseases.