Updated: Wed May. 03 2006 11:33:18 PM

CTV.ca News Staff

More than 2,000 students faced suspension from school in Waterloo Region Wednesday as the public health unit enforced a provincial law that requires students to prove they are properly immunized.

Students across the school board, from Grade 2 to 8, must show they are protected against measles, mumps and rubella.

Those who didn't have the necessary shots or couldn't prove it with the proper documentation were yanked out of class Wednesday, said CTV Kitchener's Melissa Durrell.

The number of students who were expected to be pulled from class represented a ten-fold increase over last year, partly due to the fact the health unit is enforcing the rules on students up to Grade 8. Last year only students between Grade 2 and 6 were included.

"Many of these people just haven't got their records up to date," Burrell told CTV Newsnet. "You actually have to come into the public health unit, get somebody to sign it, or actually get the vaccinations done."

The move left parents scrambling to get shots or get their immunization cards signed at the Regional Municipality of Waterloo's Community Health Department.

By late morning the wait at the health unit was more than three-and-a-half hours long, and the waiting room was packed with students and parents, Burrell said.

Health unit officials are worried about the possibility of a local outbreak, and are enforcing the rules to minimize the potential risk, Burrell said.

She pointed out that a recent outbreak of mumps swept across a number of states in the Midwest U.S., and a nearby county is experiencing a rubella outbreak.

Health officials have the authority to keep students out of school for up to 20 days, if the proper documentation isn't provided.

Students can be exempt from immunization on religious, medical or moral grounds, but the exemption must be documented.