Student Vaccination Rates Surge Across Halton Schools

More young people in Halton Region are rolling up their sleeves for vaccines, with officials reporting a sharp rise in student immunization rates.

On Sept. 17, Halton Regional Council received an update on the Immunization Services program showing significant improvements in compliance with all required vaccines over the past year.

Under Ontario’s Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA), students must be vaccinated against diphtheria, tetanus, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, pertussis (whooping cough), and meningococcal disease. Children born in 2010 or later are also required to receive the varicella (chickenpox) vaccine. Students without up-to-date records or valid exemptions may face suspension from school.

Halton Hills councilor Jane Fogal praised the progress, saying higher vaccination rates make the community safer.

“I’d just like to be grateful that we are back on track with immunization in schools,” she said. “We’ve sort of taken this for granted, and yet it can disappear. So, thank you to public health for the work you’re doing — we’re all a lot safer because of this.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that childhood vaccination rates have declined in the United States in recent years, raising concerns among health experts.

Halton Region attributes its success to stronger enforcement efforts during the 2024–2025 school year. More than 21,000 letters were sent to families with missing or outdated records — 10,548 to secondary and 10,717 to elementary students. As a result, 2,039 students were suspended for failing to comply.

The effect of the enforcement campaign was significant. The report states that for students with a 2017 birth year, on May 1, 2024 they had a 9 per cent coverage rate for all ISPA vaccines. By May 1, 2025 the coverage rate was 88 per cent.

Disclaimer: The information presented in this news article has been gathered from local news sources. Please refer to the provided references for verification. Click Here. 

Feel free to reach out to us at news@miltonbaithak.ca or follow us on WhatsApp, with any news tips, story ideas, or information you'd like to share. As a dedicated platform focused on advertising and curating news centered around MILTON, we welcome submissions related to businesses, news within the business sector, or inquiries about other people. Our goal is to assist you, whether you're interested in featuring your business or sharing relevant news.