Immunizations
Overview
What are immunizations?
Immunizations help protect you or your child from disease. They also help reduce the spread of disease to others and prevent epidemics. Most are given as shots. They are sometimes called vaccines, or vaccinations.
In many cases when you get a vaccine, you get a tiny amount of the organism that causes the disease. This amount is not enough to give you the actual disease. But it is enough to cause your immune system to make antibodies that can recognize and attack the organism if you are ever exposed to it.
Sometimes a vaccine does not completely prevent the disease, but it will make the disease much less serious if you do get it.
Some immunizations are given only once. Others require several doses over time.
Why should you get immunized?
- Immunizations protect you or your child from dangerous diseases.
- They help reduce the spread of disease to others.
- The cost of getting immunized is usually paid for by your provincial health plan. Certain people may need other immunizations that may not be covered. But the cost is less than getting treated for the diseases that the shots protect you from.
- Vaccines have very few serious side effects.
- They are often needed for entrance into school or daycare.
If you are a woman who is planning to get pregnant, talk to your doctor about what immunizations you have had and what you may need to protect your baby. And if you live with a pregnant woman, make sure your vaccines are up-to-date.
Travelling to other countries may be another reason to get immunized. Talk with your doctor 6 months before you leave to see if you need any shots.
What immunizations are recommended for children?
Childhood immunization schedules may vary in each province and territory. Ask your doctor what shots your child should get. Your doctor may recommend other shots too, if your child is more likely to have certain health problems.
The childhood immunization schedule from the Canadian Immunization Guide includes vaccines for:
- Diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (also known as whooping cough).
- Polio.
- Measles, mumps, and rubella.
- Chicken pox.
- Hepatitis B.
- Haemophilus influenzae type b disease, or Hib disease. This infection can lead to serious illness in young children, including pneumonia and meningitis.
- Meningococcal disease.
- Pneumococcal disease. This infection can also cause pneumonia and meningitis, as well as other serious illnesses, in young children.
- Flu (influenza). The flu vaccine is not given to children younger than 6 months of age.
Immunizations begin right after birth and are given throughout a baby's first 23 months. Booster shots are usually given between the ages of 4 and 6. Booster shots are the later doses of any vaccines that need to be repeated over time.
Fewer immunizations are needed after age 6. These are mostly just those given yearly (such as a flu shot) or on a regular schedule during adulthood (such as a tetanus shot).
It is important to keep good records, including a list of any reactions to the vaccines. You may need to show proof of immunizations when you enrol your child in daycare or school.
Talk to your doctor if you or your child plans to be in a group living situation, like a university dormitory or summer camp. You may want certain shots, like those for the flu or meningitis.
What vaccines are recommended for adults?
The vaccines you need as an adult depend on your sex, age, lifestyle, job, travel plans, overall health, and what vaccines you had as a child.
Talk to your doctor about which vaccines you need. Depending on your situation, you may need vaccines for:
- Chicken pox.
- Flu.
- Hepatitis A and/or B.
- HPV (human papillomavirus).
- Measles, mumps, and rubella.
- Pneumococcal disease.
- Polio.
- Tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis.
What are the side effects of vaccines?
Most side effects from vaccines are minor, if they occur at all. Your doctor will explain the reactions that could occur. They may include:
- Redness, mild swelling, or soreness where the shot was given.
- Slight fever.
- Drowsiness, crankiness, and poor appetite in some babies.
- A mild rash 7 to 14 days after chicken pox or measles-mumps-rubella shots.
- Temporary joint pain after a measles-mumps-rubella shot.
Severe reactions, such as a fever over 40.5°C (104.5°F) or trouble breathing, are rare. If you or your child has an unusual reaction, call your doctor.
It is much more dangerous for a child to risk getting the diseases than it is to risk having a serious reaction to the vaccine.
Can vaccines cause other problems?
Some parents questioned whether vaccines that contain thimerosal, a chemical that contains mercury and is used as a preservative, might cause autism. Studies have not found a link between vaccines with thimerosal and autism.1 Today, none of the routine childhood vaccines made for use in Canada contain thimerosal. Only some flu vaccines and one form of the hepatitis B vaccine contain thimerosal.2
Some people worry that the shot for measles, mumps, and rubella can cause autism in children. This is because symptoms of autism are first noticed around 1 year of age, which is around the same time children receive their first shot for measles. Many studies have been done, and no link has been found between this vaccine and autism.3, 4
Should you get immunizations to protect yourself from anthrax and smallpox?
It's scary to think that someone might use the germs that cause diseases like anthrax and smallpox as weapons. But the Canadian government does not recommend immunizations for these diseases. And the vaccines are not available to the general public.
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) does recommend that certain people be immunized, such as some lab workers, health care workers, and military members.
You can find the latest information about vaccine recommendations for anthrax and smallpox at the PHAC's Web site:
- For smallpox information, go to www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/ep-mu/smallpox_e.html.
- For anthrax information, go to www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/ep-mu/anthrax_e.html.
Frequently Asked Questions
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| Author: | Debby Golonka, MPH Ralph Poore | Last Updated: October 24, 2007 |
| Medical Review: | Michael J. Sexton, MD - Pediatrics William Atkinson, MD, MPH - Public Health and Preventive Medicine Donald Sproule, MD, CM, CCFP, FCFP - Family Medicine | |
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