With more than a dozen cases of the measles cropping up in Alberta since January, the Peace Wapiti School Division is taking steps to protects students in the event of an outbreak.
Superintendent Sheldon Rowe is urging parents to check that their children have the proper immunization records, as unvaccinated children could put others at risk.
“Everyone has a right to an education, and at a school there will be individual students who, because they have a suppressed immune system, don’t have an option of having a vaccination, and they have a right to be there safely. In the event you haven’t been vaccinated, you could become a source of the disease.”
Under the direction of the provincial government, susceptible students will be kept out of school from five days after a first exposure, until 21 days after the last exposure.
Anyone unsure of their child’s immunization history is asked to get in tough with the local AHS office or Health Link Alberta.