Immunization Information for Families

Where to get immunized

Halton Region Residents 

At your family doctor’s office. If you do not have a family doctor you can:

• Call 811– a service of the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-term Care to help you find a family doctor, nurse practitioner or specialist.
• Visit New Family Physicians in Halton Region accepting patients. To view a list of doctor’s in Halton accepting new patients.
  Please note: School-based immunizations are also available from your family doctor for free. These vaccines may need to be ordered for your child, so please contact your primary healthcare provider if you are interested in this option.

School Immunization Clinics

Halton Region Public Health provides school-based vaccines for grade 7 students at public, private, Catholic and French schools twice during the school year – once in the Fall and once in the Spring.

Visit Halton’s’ school immunization page for more information.

Community Immunization Clinics

Halton Region Public Health holds community immunization clinics throughout the summer months and at various times throughout the school year to help students catch up on missed doses of routine vaccines.

Visit Halton’s school immunization page for more information on school and community immunization clinics.

Online immunization records

You can access your child’s immunization records through our online portal ‘Immunization Connect Ontario (ICON)’ (external link) or by calling 311.

The Immunization Connect Ontario (ICON) tool is a secure web based provincial program designed for the public. ICON enables the public to:

• look up an immunization record for their child(ren); and
• submit immunization records for their child(ren) under the age of 18 years to Halton Region Public Health.
• If a child is under 18 years of age and attends child care, elementary or secondary school in Ontario, parents should inform Halton Region Public Health every time their child gets a vaccine.
• The immunization records parent(s)/guardian(s) submit through ICON will be reviewed to assess requirements for attending school as outlined in Immunization of Schools Pupil Act, 1990 (ISPA) (external link) or Child Care and Early Years Act, 2014 (CCEYA) (external link).

We may not have an immunization record in ICON if:

• you or your parent/guardian did not report the immunizations to Halton Region Public Health. Under the Immunization of School Pupils Act, parent(s)/legal guardian(s) are responsible for updating Public Health every time their child receives an immunization;
• you recently moved to Ontario;
• you received your immunization from a health care provider or pharmacist (health care providers do not report immunizations to Halton Region Public Health); or
• you were born before 1980.

Please view tips for locating old immunization records (external link). When physicians retire or relocate to another practice, you may be able to get help locating records by contacting the Advisory Services Department with the College of Physicians and Surgeons at 1-800-268-7096, ext. 603.

Immunizations for infants, toddlers & preschoolers

Children in child care

According to Ontario’s Child Care and Early Years Act (2014) (external link), students who attend licensed child care centres must be immunized against certain diseases, unless they have an exemption. Your child care centre requires proof of immunization or exemption before your child can attend the centre. It’s the law and helps keep our children safe and healthy!

The Halton Region Health Department collects, assesses and maintains immunization records for all children in licensed child care centres. This allows us to identify students who are at risk of certain diseases. Your child’s family doctor does not report their immunizations. Parents must submit these records to the Health Department AND to their child care centre.

Parents should do the following:

• Report your child’s immunization record:
  • Use the online portal ‘Immunization Connect Ontario (ICON)’ (external link)
  • Call 311
• Submit a copy of your child’s immunization record to their child care provider.

Children attending child care must be immunized against:

• Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), polio and haemophilus influenza type b (Hib)
• Pneumococcal disease
• Rotavirus
• Measles, mumps and rubella (German measles)
• Varicella (chickenpox)
• Meningococcal disease (Men-C-C)

Immunizations for school-aged children

The following immunizations are recommended and available free of charge:

Immunization of pre-teens and teens

The Halton Region Health Department administers the following publicly funded vaccines for Grade 7 students at school clinics:

• Meningococcal Conjugate-ACYW-135 (Men-C-ACYW), 1 dose*
• Human Papillomavirus (HPV) 9-valent, 2 doses given 6 months apart**
• Hepatitis B (HB), 2 doses given 6 months apart**

*Meningococcal Conjugate-ACYW-135 is a required immunization for school attendance under the Immunization of School Pupils Act. Learn more about obtaining a medical or non-medical exemption for this vaccine and other mandatory vaccines.

**Human Papillomavirus and Hepatitis B are recommended for students in this age group.

Visit Halton’s School-based Immunizations page for more information.

Immunizations required for attendance at school

All immunizations listed in the Publicly Funded Immunization Schedule are recommended. However, specific immunizations are legally required for students attending school in Halton Region as per the Immunization of School Pupil’s Act (ISPA). Halton Region Health Department enforces ISPA on behalf of the province.

Parents must provide proof that their children have the following immunizations to legally attend school:

• Diphtheria
• Rubella
• Pertussis (whooping cough)
• Tetanus
• Varicella (chicken pox) – for those born in 2010 or later
• Measles
• Mumps
• Polio
• Meningococcal disease - (Men C-C) for ages 1-11 AND (Men C-ACYW) for ages 12 and older

For more information call the Health Department by dialing 311.

Immunization exemption

A parent/guardian can temporarily or permanently exempt a child from receiving immunizations based on the following:

• Medical reasons
• Conscience or religious belief

An exemption allows an unimmunized or under-immunized child to attend school. However, in the event of an infectious disease outbreak, the Medical Officer of Health has a responsibility to ensure that the child does not attend school until the outbreak is over.

See more information on the vaccine exemption process.