Edmonton school immunization delayed
Last Updated: Wednesday, November 4, 2009 | 6:45 PM MT
CBC News
School immunization programs for Grade 5 and Grade 9 students in Edmonton have been suspended, Alberta Health announced Wednesday.
Students will have to wait until January for vaccinations to protect them against hepatitis B, chicken pox and other diseases. Health officials want to focus on the H1N1 vaccination program.
"The H1N1 immunization program is our highest priority," said Dr. Marcia Johnson, acting medical officer of health for the Edmonton area. "So we really need to make sure that we have the highest capacity to meet the demand as possible."
The delay in the school program affects about 40,000 children in the Edmonton area.
"This is an important program, but we don't think the two-month window will put the children at any significant risk," Johnson said.
Share Tools
Latest Edmonton News Headlines
- Police chief apologizes to former employee over racism
- Edmonton's chief of police has apologized to one of the department's former employees who says the racist behaviour of her boss and colleagues forced her to leave her job. more »
- Edmonton trustees named marshals of gay pride parade
- Trustees from the Edmonton Public School Board will be the honorary marshals at this year's gay pride parade. more »
- ATV collision kills teen near Hinton
- An 18-year-old male died Thursday after he was thrown from his all-terrain vehicle near Hinton. more »
- Alberta readies 60 new ambulances for service
- Around 60 new ambulances will soon be whizzing across the province thanks to a large purchase by Alberta Health Services. more »
Top News Headlines
- Attack on Syrian villages deadliest yet, activists say
- More than 90 people have been killed by regime forces in a district of central Syria, activists say, and as many as half the victims may have been children. more »
- Aylmer triple stabbing leads to first-degree murder charges
- The estranged partner of a young mother who was stabbed to death along with her parents at their home in Aylmer, Que., has been charged with first-degree murder Friday. more »
- Tornado touchdown confirmed near Montreal
- Trees were uprooted, roofs damaged and windows shattered as severe thunderstorms, and possibly a tornado, rattled through southwestern Quebec Friday night. more »
- The risks and responsibilities of taking on Mt. Everest
- The deaths of six climbers last weekend on Mt. Everest, with more summits underway this weekend, fuels the debate about the risks and responsibilities of high altitude climbing. more »
- Former MLA questions need for Alberta Party
- Police chief apologizes to former employee over racism
- ATV collision kills teen near Hinton
- Edmonton trustees named marshals of gay pride parade
- Alberta readies 60 new ambulances for service
- Oil spill clean-up underway in northern Alberta
- Garlic mustard spreading in Mill Creek Ravine
- Hobbema youth dispel stereotypes with photography
- Edmonton toddler killed by SUV in parking lot
