Vaccine Recommendations

Western strongly encourages all members of the campus community to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Along with public health measures such as frequent hand hygiene and use of face coverings, vaccination is the most important step you can take to protect yourself, each other, and our community. Please visit the Middlesex-London Health Unit website for further recommendations.

You can book an appointment with Health & Wellness Services or the Employee & Family Health Clinic if you need the vaccine.

Tested positive for COVID-19? Follow these guidelines as recommended by the Middlesex-London Health Unit. Last updated fall 2023.

University and college students, faculty and staff should strive to minimize disruption of routine activities with any potential long-lasting illness such as the flu. This vaccine can help reduce the incidence and/or severity of the illness.

Flu clinics usually occur in late-fall or early-winter at various locations on campus and in the London community, based on vaccine availability. Our fall Flu Clinic ran from November 6-10.

You can book an appointment with Health & Wellness Services or the Employee & Family Health Clinic if you would like to get your flu shot.

You can also visit the UCC Pharmacy to get your flu shot.
Available Monday to Friday from 9:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Please call ahead to book: 519-661-4058

For more information on flu immunization, visit: https://www.healthunit.com/flu.

Adolescents routinely receive this vaccine as part of their 14- to 16-year booster shot. We strongly recommend that you make arrangements to receive the adolescent vaccine with the acellular pertussis component, if you have not already received it. Adolescents and adults are often the source of pertussis infection for infants and young children. It is estimated that ten to twenty per cent of adolescents and adults in Canada are at risk of becoming infected with pertussis because protection from childhood vaccinations against pertussis decreases with time.

Td is updated every 10 years, therefore students may require a booster between 24-26 years old. You can book an appointment with Health & Wellness Services if you need a booster.

Acellular pertussis started in 1991, and anyone vaccinated before that time should get a booster dose since they may have lost immunity to Pertussis. If you are faculty or staff, you can book an appointment through the Employee & Family Health Clinic.

Adolescents and adults should receive two doses of the MMR vaccine to confirm immunity to measles, mumps and rubella. There have been several outbreaks of measles and mumps in Canada with the majority of cases reported among young adults.

Learn more about measles by visiting the Middlesex-London Health Unit's website.

1. Students from outside of Ontario are at greatest need for confirming receipt of two doses of a measles containing vaccine to ensure optimal immunity.

If you are a Western University student who is displaying symptoms of measles or requires the measles vaccine you can book an appointment with Health & Wellness Services for vaccination and testing.
*Costs are covered under OHIP & UHIP.

Members of the Employee & Family Health Clinic can visit their physician for the vaccination or testing.

For information on eligibility and appointment availability for vaccination in the London community, visit healthunit.com/immunization-clinic.

Hepatitis B is a virus spread through contact with blood or body fluids of an infected person. All university and college students should ensure they have received a full series of Hepatitis B immunizations. In Ontario, you may have received this vaccine in Grade Seven or as part of your early infant vaccines. Students from other provinces and countries may have received this vaccine at birth. If you have never received this vaccine or have not completed a full series, you should arrange to do so.

You can book an appointment with Health & Wellness Services if you need the vaccine. The majority of the cost is covered by PurpleCARE.

The HPV vaccine is recommended for individuals ages 9-26 to protect against the virus that can cause cancer of the cervix, penis or anus, as well as genital warts.It can also cause oropharyngeal cancers. Three doses of the vaccine are required. Routine cancer screening should continue according to your health care provider’s recommendations.

Although not a public health recommendation, evidence indicates that people with any of the previous mentioned conditions should still get vaccinated to protect them from the other strains of HPV.

You can book an appointment with Health & Wellness Services if you need the vaccine. The majority of the cost is covered by PurpleCARE.

All university and college students who have not had chickenpox disease as a child, should receive this vaccine. Adults who become infected with chickenpox are at higher risk of serious side effects from this disease.

You can book an appointment with Health & Wellness Services if you need the vaccine.

There are several different types of meningococcal bacteria. The most common types in Canada are B, C, Y and W-135, and there are vaccines available that can provide protection against these strains. Meningitis diseases are rare; however, living in close quarters with others, such as in student housing, can increase the risk of transmission of this disease. Bacterial meningitis causes swelling of the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord, and can lead to severe permanent disabilities such as hearing loss, brain damage, seizures and even death.

You can book an appointment with Health & Wellness Services or the Employee & Family Health Clinic if you need the vaccine.

This vaccine may be recommended for students who are travelling to certain destinations during the holidays. This vaccine is free of charge for men who have sex with men, IV drug users and persons with chronic liver disease.

The vaccine can be given together with a Hepatitis B vaccine (where not previously vaccinated) to provide protection from both infections. You can book an appointment with Health & Wellness Services if you need the vaccine, which can be partially reimbursed by PurpleCARE.