An immunization schedule tells you which vaccines you should get and at what age. They have been developed using the best available science on vaccines and the diseases they prevent.
Vaccines teach your body how to recognize and fight off diseases. They do this by showing your body a harmless version of the disease-causing germ. This can be a dead or weakened germ, or only parts of the germ called antigens. Some newer vaccines, like the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, instruct your body on how to make the antigens, rather than the antigen itself.
Your immune system responds to a vaccine as if it was the actual germ, and makes a type of protein called antibodies to fight that germ. Later, if you are exposed to the actual germ, your immune system quickly recognizes it and fights it off to prevent you from getting sick.
Some vaccines protect against more than one disease. These are called combination vaccines. For example, the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine (MMR), is a combination vaccine that protects against these three diseases. Combination vaccines are just as safe and effective as single vaccines and are convenient because they reduce the number of injections a person needs.
Sometimes, a person can get protection from the germ if they get a disease, but this comes with the risk of becoming seriously sick, having to get hospital care, and even dying.
Most vaccines work well at preventing disease, but no vaccine is 100% effective. Even so, people who get infected with a germ after being immunized for it are much less likely to become seriously ill.
The vaccines used in Canada are very safe. Most side effects are mild and go away after a few days. Vaccines are among the safest health products available.
Before
Health Canada approves any vaccine for use, it must go through thorough testing to show that it works and is safe.
Vaccine safety is also closely monitored for as long as vaccines are used.
Even after vaccines are approved and people begin receiving them, Health Canada and provincial and regional public health authorities continue to monitor their safety and how well they work. They watch for unwanted or unexpected health events after vaccination. These are called adverse events following immunization (AEFIs). These events may or may not be caused by the vaccine.
If an AEFI happens, public health authorities look into it to find out whether the vaccine caused it. Sometimes health events happen within a few days after vaccination but are not related to the vaccine.
If there is a concern that a vaccine could cause harm, it can be removed from the market so it is no longer used. Health Canada can also issue warnings to let people know about specific risks.
B.C. monitors AEFIs through its immunization safety monitoring system. It shares information about AEFIs with national and global vaccine safety monitoring systems.
The Vaccine Impact Assistance Program (VIAP) provides support to people in Canada who have been found to have a serious and permanent injury caused by a vaccine authorized by Health Canada.
The program was first announced in 2020 and began accepting applications in 2021 when it was called the Vaccine Injury Support Program. Since April 1, 2026, the Government of Canada has managed the Vaccine Impact Assistance Program.
In Canada, the
National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) looks at all the scientific evidence on vaccines, including how well they work and how safe they are. NACI then makes recommendations on how vaccines should be used. The committee is made up of experts in children’s health, communicable diseases, and public health, and they follow strict conflict-of-interest rules.
Each province and territory in Canada use NACI recommendations and other factors to decide which vaccines should be publicly funded, who they should be offered to, and at what ages they should be given. Other factors they consider include:
- How common a disease is in different places
- How common a disease is among different groups of people
- How serious a disease is for those people
- How well vaccines work and for how long
- Possible side effects of vaccines
- Access to health care where they live
Because of these different factors, immunization schedules can vary between provinces and territories. Some vaccines may be recommended by NACI but not provided free in certain provinces/territories.
It’s important to talk to your health care provider about the vaccines that are available and recommended for you. Vaccines that are not publicly-funded may be purchased at a local pharmacy, some doctor’s offices, or in travel clinics.
Talk to a health care provider
Talk to your health care provider about diseases that vaccines can prevent and the risks they carry. They can help you find out if you or your child need to catch up on any vaccinations.
Immunization records
Use the Health Gateway to access immunization records and find out if you or your child need to get up to date on any immunizations. Submit information about any vaccines you received that are missing from your records.
HealthLink BC
HeatlhLink BC has information about- Vaccine-preventable diseases
- What vaccines are and how they work
- The safety of vaccines
- Recommended vaccines
- Immunization schedules
- Immunization record cards
Immunization education activities
- I Boost Immunity offers a series of fun online quizzes to boost vaccine confidence. When participants complete quizzes, vaccines are sent to UNICEF to protect children globally.
- Kids Boost Immunity offers free curated lessons and interactive quizzes for schools that align with the province’s science, health, and social studies curriculums.
