Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health is appealing to parents to get their kids vaccinated, saying he’s seen first-hand what can happen when they aren’t.

Dr. David Williams worked for 10 years in a hospital in remote Nepal, and saw countless children stricken by some of the same illnesses Ontario’s free immunization program protects against.

He says the vaccines that protect kids from diseases, including measles, mumps, whooping cough, tetanus and polio, are safe and effective.

He’s appealing to parents to make sure their kids’ vaccinations are up-to-date before school starts.

Under Ontario law, certain vaccinations and documentation need to be up to date for children to attend school.

If they can’t be vaccinated for medical or non-medical reasons, they need a valid exemption.

(Radio News Service)