REPARED BY: Epidemiology & Evaluation
DATE: 2025-05-15
SUBJECT: WEC School Age Conscience or Religious Belief Exemptions
BACKGROUND/PURPOSE
In September 2024 the Board was provided an Immunization Coverage Report in Windsor-Essex County for the 2024-2025 school year. This report is provided yearly after the completion of the Immunization of Student Pupils Act (ISPA) enforcement efforts conducted by the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU). This report includes updated information (as available) through provincial sources about information related to ISPA vaccine coverage rates across the Province.
Since the beginning of 2025, the Windsor and Essex County area has seen an increasing number of measles cases reported in our community. Measles is a highly contagious disease, and the most effective approach to limiting the spread of the disease is immunization with two dose of measles containing vaccine. The measles vaccine, commonly administered in Ontario as the MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) or MMRV (Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Varicella) vaccine. Under the ISPA R, students must be immunized against measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, meningococcal, varicella and polio, or have a valid Medical, or Conscience or Religious Belief exemption on file at the Health Unit. Conscience or Religious Belief exemptions are a mechanism where students can be in compliance with ISPA requirements but elect to be exempt from vaccination due to personal philosophical reasons. Once the exemption is properly filed with the health unit, the students can attend school and are considered compliant with the provincial regulation.
During the 2024-2025 school year, as outlined in the Immunization Coverage Report in Windsor-Essex County, overall immunization coverage rate for the measles vaccine ranged between 85.94% (at age 7) and 92.92% (at age 17).
DISCUSSION
Achieving and maintaining high immunization coverage, amongst school age children, is essential for effective prevention and control of vaccine preventable diseases. As of April 17th, 2025, 5.07% of students in Windsor and Essex County schools had Conscience or Religious Belief exemptions for ISPA required vaccine(s). A valid Conscience or Religious Belief exemption, permits ongoing regular attendance at school (not at risk of suspension) except in the event of an exposure to a vaccine preventable disease. In the event of a measles exposure at school, students that have exemptions, regardless of category, are required to be excluded from school for their own safety and the safety of others, based on the exposure periods and associated isolation time of the disease, to prevent the further spread.
As a part of the ongoing management of measles exposures and risk, the WECHU will continue to monitor the impact that measles exposures are having on children and youth as a high-risk group within our community. One of the key strategies to prevent additional exposures will be to provide ongoing reminders and recommendations for populations that are un-immunized or under-immunized. In addition, the WECHU will continue to encourage local health care providers to speak with clients that demonstrate vaccine hesitancy to provide assessment and recommendations for immunizations that are an important strategy to keep our entire population safe.