UPDATE: The Immunization School Pupils Act (ISPA) – Screening and Suspension

Starting in mid-November, Hamilton Public Health Services (HPHS) will begin our work enforcing the Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA) for the 2025-2026 school year, including the annual vaccine record screening and suspension process. HPHS will be sending screening letters to all students who are born in 2008-2020 who have overdue records for vaccinations required under the IPSA.

Letters are being sent to families of students who do not have up-to-date vaccination records on file with HPHS for the following vaccines required under the ISPA:

• tetanus,
• diphtheria,
• pertussis,
• poliomyelitis,
• measles,
• mumps,
• rubella,
• varicella,
• meningococcal disease (Men C-C and Men-ACYW135)

Individuals who have received notification letters in the mail are required to do one of the following:

1. Update their vaccine records with HPHS if they have already received the necessary vaccines,
2. Receive the necessary vaccinations and report the vaccines to HPHS
3. Submit the original copy of an appropriate medical or non-medical exemption to HPHS.

Submitting this information is essential to avoid potential suspension from school under the ISPA. During the 2025/2026 school year, Hamilton Public Health Services will be enforcing the ISPA, including suspension from school, for those born in 2008-2011, and 2013-2016 who do not have up-to-date vaccine records or appropriate exemptions on file.

For this reason, you might notice an increase in the number of individuals seeking vaccinations.

HPHS continues to appreciate and ask for your support as local health care providers in providing routine vaccination for children and youths. We greatly appreciate all you can do to provide access to routine vaccinations for your patients including:

• Offering appointment availability for catch-up immunizations
• Reminding families to report all vaccines to HPHS.
• Review immunization during any visit with clients and offering vaccines as needed.

Vaccine Ordering

To order all publicly funded vaccines including those required under the ISPA, and in accordance with the Publicly Funded Immunization Schedules for Ontario, complete the Vaccine Order Form and submit it via email at [email protected] or by fax at 905-546-3472.

School Catch-up Clinics

HPHS is organizing catch-up clinics for secondary school students at local high schools in January, February, and March of 2026. These clinics will offer mandatory vaccines under the ISPA as well as optional Hepatitis B and HPV vaccines.

For Hamilton residents and students attending a school in Hamilton without a health card, routine vaccines including both the ISPA mandated and optional vaccines are available at HPHS vaccine clinics. If you are unable to immunize a student because they do not have a health card, please advise them to book an appointment at www.hamilton.ca/schoolclinics.

Screening and Suspension Letters

The screening letter that parents/guardians receive will specify which of the child’s vaccinations have not been reported to HPHS. We advise parents/guardians to book an appointment with their health care provider and bring the screening letter to their appointment. We ask that you please check the patient’s records on your end to determine whether they have received the listed vaccines in the past. If they have, please advise them of the product and date of vaccination to report to public health. If their vaccinations are not up-to-date, or you do not have a record of their previous vaccinations, please consider administering the vaccinations as per the Ontario Publicly Funded Vaccine Schedule.

The screening letter will have a 'report by’ date, which is the deadline for updating their child’s vaccination records. Following this, if the records are not updated, a suspension order may be issued. This order will include a 'suspension date’, which gives them additional time post-screening to update the vaccination records and avoid suspension.

Ontario Publicly Funded Vaccine Schedule

To support your ongoing efforts and to ensure compliance with the Publicly Funded Immunization Schedules for Ontario, all immunizers should ensure they have up-to-date knowledge using appropriate guidelines and resources such as vaccine product monographs and the Canadian Immunization Guide (CIG).

The Publicly Funded Immunization Schedules for Ontario provides Ontario’s routine and catch-up immunization schedules, information regarding eligibility for all publicly funded vaccines as well as high risk programs and vaccine intervals for vaccine series. Catch-up schedules are available for use when individuals are ‘off-schedule’ with their recommended vaccines. If you have questions about the Publicly Funded Immunization Schedules for Ontario or records assessment, please call 905-546-2424 ext. 7556. HPHS does not provide written documentation of missing vaccine records outside of the Immunization of School Pupils Act process. Health care providers are responsible for recommending appropriate vaccinations as per the Publicly Funded Immunization Schedules for Ontario and discussion of the risks and benefits with the patient.

The Publicly Funded Immunization Schedules for Ontario also includes timing information on how to complete the Pneu-C-15 series, as well as the Tdap-IPV series depending on an individuals current age and previous doses received.

Reporting Vaccines

If a student receives vaccines from you, please remind their parents or guardians to report these vaccinations to the public health unit linked to the student's school. For example, if a student attends school in Hamilton but lives in Halton, the vaccination should be reported to Hamilton Public Health.

For Hamilton residents/students attending a school in Hamilton, vaccines can be reported in the following ways:

• Online Reporting: via URL https://hph.icon.ehealthontario.ca or www.hamilton.ca/reportingvaccines
• Mail: City of Hamilton, Public Health Services, Vaccine Program; P.O. Box 897, Hamilton Ontario, L8N 3P6
• Phone Reporting: Call Vaccine Records at 905-540-5250. Expect high call volumes and exercise patience.

We greatly appreciate your support to ensure that children in Hamilton are up-to-date on their routine vaccinations to reduce spread of vaccine preventable diseases in our community.

Please feel free to contact [email protected] if you have any questions or concerns.