Vaccines against the following diseases are available free of charge, and are required for attendance at school:

• diphtheria
• tetanus
• polio
• measles
• mumps
• rubella

Vaccines against the following diseases are recommended but not required for attendance at school. These vaccines are available free of charge:

• pertussis (Whooping Cough)
• hepatitis B
  
• influenza (flu)
• varicella (Chicken pox)
• meningococcal C

Vaccines against the following diseases are recommended for younger children. These vaccines are available free of charge:

• haemophilus influenzae B (HiB)
• pneumococcal disease

How do I know what shots my children have received?
Your immunization record or "yellow card", keeps track of all vaccinations (or "shots") your child has received. When your child receives a vaccination be sure that you, a doctor, or nurse record the new information in the card. This record is very important and should be kept up to date and stored in a safe place.

It is the responsibility of parents/guardians to keep care of this record and it should be treated with the same care as a birth certificate or passport.

Without a written record, your child may be given unnecessary needles. Health Canada recommends restarting immunization when the child has no documentation of immunization.

What can I do if I do not want my child immunized?
A valid signed exemption is required if you decide not to immunize your child, for medical, religious or philosophical reasons.

Exemption forms may be obtained by calling the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit at 519-258-2146 ext. 1222

If a child is not vaccinated and a Statement of Medical Exemption or Statement of Conscious or Religious Belief is on file with the Health Unit, parents should understand the future consequences. If an outbreak or threat of outbreak of any of the vaccine preventable diseases exists, non-vaccinated students may be excluded from school by an order written by the Medical Officer of Health. The student cannot return to school until the order is rescinded in writing by the Medical Officer of Health, when he/she is satisfied that the outbreak or the immediate risk of the outbreak of the designated disease has ended.