With a measles outbreak in New York City last fall, and a number of confirmed cases in B.C. early this year, public health initiatives are more crucial than ever. The importance of immunization programs for children was a topic of discussion for Haldimand and Norfolk Health and Social Services in February as students in the area faced suspension for incomplete immunization records. The  Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA) requires students in primary and secondary school to be immunized against diseases such as tetanus, polio, measles and mumps, or have a valid exemption on file. “It is thanks to these vaccines that diseases that were the leading cause of death 100 years ago now cause less than five per cent of all deaths in Canada,” says RN Sarah Titmus, the Haldimand and Norfolk Health Unit’s program manager for infectious disease. In 2017-18, the compliance rate in Haldimand and Norfolk was 83 per cent for 17-year-olds compared to 88 per cent the previous year. Titmus says the decrease can be attributed to an increase in the number of vaccines required (up from six to nine). “Ongoing immunization programs that ensure high coverage rates are needed to maintain low levels of vaccine-preventable diseases,” she says. (Simcoe Reformer, Feb. 13)