CANImmunize app helps busy father of two students avoid missing mandatory vaccinations

Every parent wants to avoid that dreaded phone call from their child’s school notifying them that they’re missing vaccinations – a requirement for school attendance*. Since June 2018, Ontario parents and guardians have been required to report vaccines administered to school-aged children to their local medical officer of health. In fact, thousands of elementary students, who did not have a complete immunization record, were suspended last school year across the province.

CANImmunize, a free, bilingual app, enables parents to send their children’s records directly to Public Health Ontario, if eligible. For Claudio Pietramala, father of two school-aged kids, the app helps keep him organized and helps him avoid worry by keeping track of his children’s immunizations. Even more importantly, it helps keep his kids protected against preventable diseases.

He learned about CANImmunize from his partner who works in the health care sector, and downloaded it without hesitation after reading the reviews, particularly the ones highlighting its reliability. “It was easy – I downloaded it to my iPhone and uploaded their vaccination chart,” says the 46-year-old father of two who is also a busy professional. “The app gives me reminders whenever my kids are due for a vaccine and their records go straight to Toronto Public Health – I think it’s kind of neat.”

Claudio highly recommends the app, especially to other parents who want to avoid losing the yellow immunization card (which can result in a fee) or those with a newborn who want to make their lives simpler and more convenient.

“The best things about it is having my kids’ vaccination record on me at any given time and knowing whether they’re missing anything.”

Vaccines help save lives by preventing the spread of numerous diseases. To learn more about the importance of getting vaccinated, visit Public Health Ontario.

*According to the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term-Care’s website, “Ontario’s Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA) requires that children and adolescents attending primary or secondary school be appropriately immunized against designated diseases, unless they have a valid exemption.”