TEACHER S GUIDE: Peel Public Health School-Based Immunization Clinics

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1 Peel Public Health School-Based Immunization Clinics Immunization Information Peel Public Health provides school-based immunization clinics for grade 7 and 8 students in the region of Peel. Grade 7 students are eligible to receive the hepatitis B and meningitis vaccines and grade 8 female students are eligible to receive the human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV). These vaccines are voluntary and free of charge. Grade 7 Students The Hepatitis B vaccine prevents liver disease. Two doses are required and usually given four to six months apart. The meningococcal vaccine prevents infection of the lining of the brain. The vaccine, called MenACYW-135 protects against the four most common strains of bacterial meningitis. Only one dose is required. Grade 8 Female Students The HPV vaccine provides protection against four strains of HPV; two of the strains are responsible for over 70% of cervical cancers. Three doses are required to be fully protected. What to Expect After Immunization Vaccines are safe and effective. For most people, there are no side effects after immunization. Minor local side effects may occur, but usually last only a few days. Local reactions may include redness, soreness, swelling or itchiness at the injection site. Occasionally, tiredness and/or muscle aches, headache and/or slight fever may result. Severe reactions are very rare and may include trouble breathing, swelling of the face or mouth, hives or a fever over 39 degrees Celsius. The benefits and risks of any vaccine should be discussed with a health-care professional. Peel Public Health: Vaccine Preventable Diseases Program 1

2 School-Based Immunizations: Clinic Process What is the school clinic process and what happens before the clinic date? Vaccine consent forms: Vaccine consent forms are sent to the school a few weeks in advance of the school clinic and these forms should be distributed to the students one week before the nurses are scheduled to arrive. Parents or legal guardians who would like to have their child immunized with the vaccine offered must sign the consent form and return it to the school by the date of the clinic. Returning consent forms: On the day of the clinic, the students will bring their signed consent forms to the clinic area. If a student does not have a signed consent, a second consent may be given to the student. All students must be present at the clinic and speak to the nurse, whether or not they will be immunized. Peel Public Health will retain all consents from the clinic. Special needs forms: This is a form that is distributed to parents for students who are unable to reliably communicate and answer the necessary assessment questions asked by the nurse prior to immunization; for example, Do you have allergies? The Assessment Questions for Students with Special Needs form is filled out by the parent or legal guardian. This form does not give consent for immunization, but must be accompanied by a consent form signed by the parent or legal guardian. As a teacher, what can I do to prepare the students for the immunization? There are a number of ways that you can help your students to prepare for the immunization clinic. Help students understand how vaccines work and how they protect against disease by utilizing the material in the lesson plans for each of the vaccines. These lesson plans follow this Teacher s Guide and are available at: ImmunizePeel.ca and at School Health 101. Encourage questions and facilitate discussion Peel Public Health: Vaccine Preventable Diseases Program 2

3 Reinforces a positive attitude by reminding the students that the vaccine(s) help protect them from serious infections. Discourages peer teasing about receiving the needle(s). What should the student do to prepare for the immunization? Students need to ensure that they have returned their consent form, signed by the parent or legal guardian, to their school teacher. The morning of the clinic the students receiving the vaccine should eat a healthy breakfast and lunch. Eating well will make the day less stressful. Students should also wear loose short sleeves or loose fitting tops so that the nurse can give the immunization in the upper part of the arm. What happens on the day of the clinic? Throughout the day, teachers will be asked to send their students down to the immunization clinic set up at your school. All students should go down together to the clinic area. The Role of the Nurse One nurse will meet with each class outside the clinic area before the students go into the clinic. This nurse will: Answer questions and dispel myths about the vaccine Answer questions about the clinic process Identify and assist anxious students Offer a second consent package to students who do not present with a signed, valid consent form One by one, the students will enter the clinic area and be directed to a nursing station to meet with a nurse. Prior to giving the needle, the clinic nurse will: Ask the student questions such as: o Are you feeling well today? o Do you have any allergies or health problems? o Have you had any problems with vaccines in the past? o Are you taking any medications or have you received any vaccines recently? o Is there any chance that you could be pregnant? When the clinic nurse has completed asking the assessment questions, she/he will give the student the injection. Most students will feel only a pinch for a Peel Public Health: Vaccine Preventable Diseases Program 3

4 moment. Following immunization, students must remain in the clinic area for 15 minutes, to be observed by the nurses for any adverse reaction. When students return to class they must do so as a group, to ensure their safety. If a student is unable to accompany the group, she/he will be escorted by one of the nurses back to class. If a student experiences severe reactions to a vaccine such as trouble breathing, swelling in the face or mouth, fever over 39 C, hives or a rash, 911 should be called and he or she should be sent to the hospital right away. Severe reactions following immunization should be reported to Peel Public Health at The Role of the Teacher Identify anxious students to the nurse Give the signed consents to the students Accompany all students to the clinic area Remain with students in the hallway, outside the clinic area. Encourage a quiet and calm environment among waiting students. Reinforce a positive attitude by reminding the students that the vaccine(s) help protect them from serious infections. Discourage peer teasing about receiving the needle(s). Address undesirable student behaviour. Ensure orderly flow of traffic in and out of the clinic. Have students sit down after receiving immunization. Provide activities to keep students busy while in the hallway i.e. reading a book, doing schoolwork, etc. Remain with students until they are all immunized and escort students back to class. Send students who are feeling unwell back to the school clinic accompanied by another student or teacher. Encourage students to continue with routinely scheduled activities What if a student misses a dose of a vaccine? When can he or she get the missed dose(s)? Hepatitis B Vaccine The hepatitis B vaccine series is two doses, usually six months apart. If a student misses a dose of the hepatitis B vaccine she/he can attend the next clinic(s) at the school to receive the missed dose(s). Peel Public Health: Vaccine Preventable Diseases Program 4

5 Peel Public Health also provides grade 8 hepatitis B catch up clinics at school for students who have missed a dose in grade 7. If the student was unable to receive all doses at school, she/he should call Peel Public Health at to find out how to obtain the vaccine free of charge. Meningococcal Vaccine The meningococcal vaccine is one dose. If a student misses a dose of the meningitis vaccine she/he can attend the next clinic(s) at the school to receive the missed dose. If the student was unable to receive the dose at school, she/he should call Peel Public Health at to find out how to obtain the vaccine free of charge. HPV Vaccine The HPV vaccine series is three doses. Female students who miss a dose of the HPV vaccine can attend the next clinic(s) at the school to receive the missed dose(s). If the student was unable to receive all doses at school, she should call Peel Public Health at to find out how she can obtain the free vaccine. Peel Public Health: Vaccine Preventable Diseases Program 5