2024-2025 Grade 7 Immunization Program

Students in Grade 7 are eligible to receive Hepatitis B, Human Papillomavirus (HPV), and Meningococcal ACYW-135 immunizations at no cost. The vaccines are conveniently provided at school by the Health Unit to students with parent/legal guardian consent. Other options are available for students who are unable or prefer not to receive vaccines at school. 

Information about the vaccines

It is strongly recommended that families consider protecting students against serious diseases through immunization with Hepatitis B, Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and Meningococcal ACYW-135 vaccines. The Health Unit asks that families read the following information sheet for more details about the vaccines: 

Hepatitis B

• Hepatitis B is a virus that affects the liver.
• The Hepatitis B vaccine is highly recommended but is not mandatory for school students.
• Two doses of Hepatitis B vaccine are needed for Grade 7 students who have not received the vaccine previously. The first dose will be given at school clinics in the fall and the second dose will be given 4-6 months later.

 Meningococcal ACYW-135 

• Meningococcal bacteria spread by direct contact with oral secretions (e.g. sharing drinks, water bottles, or musical instruments. Symptoms can be very severe and sudden and meningococcal disease can lead to death, hearing loss, neurological disabilities and/or limb amputation.
• The Meningococcal ACYW-135 vaccine is a mandatory immunization for school students in Ontario.
• This vaccine only requires one dose that will be offered to students at the first school immunization visit.

Human Papillomavirus (HPV)

• HPV is a family of viruses and is spread by skin-to-skin contact through vaginal, oral or anal sex. You do not have to have sex to get or spread the virus. The virus can cause genital warts and cancers that affect both women and men.
• The HPV vaccine is not mandatory but is highly recommended for all students, regardless of gender. It is best to get the vaccine before the onset of any sexual activity to prevent HPV infection. 
• Two doses of the HPV vaccine are needed for Grade 7 students. The first dose will be given at school clinics in the fall and the second dose will be given 6 months later.

School clinics

Public Health Nurses from the Health Unit's Vaccine Preventable Disease Team visit elementary schools in London and Middlesex-County to provide Grade 7 students the opportunity to receive Hepatitis B, Meningococcal-ACYW-135 and HPV vaccines at school. Vaccines are only administered to students whose legal guardians have provided consent. In addition to reading the vaccine information sheet above, the Health Unit asks that guardians:

When a student has been vaccinated at school, a note from the nurse will be sent home so their guardian can keep a record of the immunization..

Important information about Grade 8 students

Grade 8 students who missed an opportunity to receive their vaccines at school last year will be able to receive doses if there is a consent form on file. Grade 8 students will be immunized in the fall and/or spring depending on the recommended spacing between vaccine and doses that are still required. If there is no consent form on file for the student, please see options for students not receiving vaccines at school. 

If your student received doses at their primary care provider's office (i.e. family doctor, pediatrician, walk-in clinic, nurse practitioner), please report these to the Health Unit to avoid additional doses being administered and school suspension for the mandatory Meningococcal ACYW vaccine. 

Grade 7 remote/online learners and students not receiving vaccines at school

Grade 7 remote/online learners and students not receiving doses at school have two options to receive these vaccines.

1. Book an appointment at a Health Unit immunization clinic. 
2. Grade 7 students may also receive these vaccines with their healthcare provider (i.e. family doctor, pediatrician, nurse practitioner). Please note the following:

• Healthcare providers may not have these vaccines. Please ask when booking an appointment.
• Parents/guardians are asked to report all doses given at healthcare provider offices to the Health Unit. Report your child’s immunizations here.

Preparing your student for clinic day

Your child may be feeling anxious about getting needles at school. The Public Health Nurses work to minimize anxiety and use specific techniques to decrease pain, in order to help the student through the vaccination process.
Here are some ways for you to help your child prepare for the clinic day:

• Make sure your child eats a good breakfast, and brings a healthy lunch to school
• Have them wear a short sleeve shirt so that it is easy to get at the upper arm where the needle will be given. Also, heavy sweaters and longer sleeve shirts can make them hot and possibly more anxious.
• Tell your child to use techniques to reduce possible pain and anxiety
• Wiggle their toes during the immunization
• Fully relax their arm during immunization
• Take slow and deep breaths
• Close their eyes and count
• Talk to the nurse or to a friend for distraction
• Hold and squeeze something in their hand

Anxiousness about medical procedures, with resulting fainting, happens occasionally in this age group, particularly in females. Fainting after vaccines is a symptom of anxiety, not a side effect from a vaccine. After leaving the clinic it is important for students to stay together with other students in the halls, and be careful on stairs. Students should not leave the school for at least 15 minutes. It is important that they return to the clinic area with someone if they are feeling unwell. If students appear pale, sweaty, or worried, they will be asked to stay with the nurses at the clinic and lie on a mat. The nurses are there to give medical attention to students as necessary. It is very important that students tell the nurses when they feel unwell after vaccines. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What if I cannot receive the vaccinations on the day of the school clinic?

• If you miss vaccines, the Public Health Nurses will call the student down the next time they are in the school. Consent forms are valid until all doses are given, including in Grade 8, ensuring adequate protection for the student.

• Alternatively, the student can come to the Middlesex-London Health Unit's Immunization Clinic to be immunized. Clinics are available at both the 355 Wellington St. (London) and 51 Front St. (Strathroy) locations.

Can a student go to their doctor or nurse practitioner to receive the vaccines?

• All three types of vaccines may be available at your healthcare provider’s office. Call ahead to make sure they have them in stock. They can order doses from the Health Unit for students who miss the vaccines at school.
• Students are eligible for Meningococcal ACYW-135 at any time after beginning grade 7. Hepatitis B and HPV vaccine is available until the end of the high school for those who were eligible in grade 7.

What if my student has had one of these vaccines before?

• Write down the dates that the previous doses were given on the consent. By signing the consent form, the nurse will assess and see if more doses are required for proper scheduling of the vaccines. These doses can be given at the school clinic.

Can a Grade 7 student consent for the vaccine on their own?

• In Ontario, a person does not have to be a certain age in order to be considered capable of providing consent. Parents are encouraged to discuss the information with their son/daughter. In most cases an adolescent can consent to the vaccine on their own. However, the Health Unit does prefer to have a parent’s consent when working in elementary schools.

• There may be times when a parent wants a student to be immunized but the student does not want to be vaccinated. Health Unit staff will help with distraction and encouragement but will not hold children down in a school clinic. In some cases, it may be easier for the student to go to a health care provider with a parent to receive the vaccines.

Are these vaccines mandatory?

• Under the Immunization of School Pupil’s Act (ISPA, amended in 2014), the only grade 7 vaccine that is mandatory is the Meningococcal ACYW-135 dose. Your student needs to have one dose of this vaccine, or have an exemption affidavit completed and filed at the health unit, in order to avoid suspension from school in the future. Other Meningococcal vaccines do not count towards this vaccine requirement.

• Hepatitis B and HPV vaccines are not mandatory, but are highly recommended for this age group.

Where is the needle given?

• These vaccines are given in the deltoid muscle (upper outer arm area). When three vaccines are given on the same day, one deltoid will be the site for one vaccine and the other deltoid will be the site for two vaccines. Please wear a short sleeved shirt on the day of the clinic.

Should I get the Meningococcal ACYW-135 vaccine if I was vaccinated with meningococcal vaccine as a baby?

• Yes. According to the legislation, children receive a Meningococcal-C vaccine at age one, and then also require this different Meningococcal vaccine in grade 7.