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Immunization records now mandatory for kids in Coquitlam district schools

It will now be mandatory for parents and guardians to provide public health units with immunization records for students enrolled in the provincial school system. The B.C.
Vaccinations

It will now be mandatory for parents and guardians to provide public health units with immunization records for students enrolled in the provincial school system.

The B.C. Ministry of Health announced today (Friday) a mandatory reporting requirement through the Vaccination Status Reporting Regulation.

"In the wake of the global measles outbreaks this spring, B.C. is implementing several measures to protect children and families from this and other communicable diseases through improved immunization," said Adrian Dix, minister of health, in a news release.

"This mandatory reporting of the immunization status of students will ensure the public health system is prepared in the event of an outbreak. Furthermore, with the up-to-date records, public health can reach out to families with children behind on their immunizations and provide an opportunity to catch them up, as well as discuss any concerns with parents."

Most parents are already in compliance with this requirement, Dix said, so they will not need to do anything further when the new school year starts.

Parents or guardians with an incomplete or missing record will be contacted by public health on how to provide their child's immunization information if it is needed, plus receive information on upcoming school-based or community health clinics where their child can receive immunizations if they require them.

The province says that public health officials will review school enrolment records in late August and into October 2019 to match them against immunization records for kindergarten-to-Grade 12 students that currently exist in the provincial immunization registry. For the first year of the reporting requirement, the goal will be to help parents get their children up to date on immunizations by the end of the school year.