Immunizations

Immunizations protect your child against several serious, life-threatening infectious diseases. Your child should have "shots" according to the schedule recommended for your province, state, or country. For more specific information, contact your child's physician, or the local public health nurse for your community.

The following is the recommended schedule of immunizations during childhood:

Age	dTaP-IPV	Hib	MMR	Var	HepB	Pneu-C	Men-C	dTap	Flu
2 months	X	X			Infancy 3 doses       or       Preteen/ teen 2-3 doses	X	X
4 months	X	X				X	X
6 months	X	X				X	X or		X 6-23 months 1-2 doses
12 months			X	X		X 12-15 months	X If not yet given
18 months	X	X	X or X
4-6 years	X
14-16 years							X If not yet given	X

Recommended immunization schedule for infants, children and youth. Public Health Agency of Canada, 2002.

 

dTaP-IPV: Diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis, and inactivated polio virus vaccine
Hib: Haemophilus influenzae type b conjugate vaccine
MMR: Measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine
Var: Varicella vaccine
HepB: Hepatitis B vaccine
Pneu-C: Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine
Men-C: Meningococcal C conjugate vaccine
dTaP: Diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis vaccine (adult formulation)
Flu: Influenza vaccine

Descriptions of immunizations

Diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis (dTaP) vaccine

Immunization against diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis, or whooping cough, is important, since all of these diseases can be deadly. Whooping cough is a very dangerous disease, especially for young babies. The risk of suffering and death caused by whooping cough is far greater than the possible side effects of the vaccine. A child who has not been immunized against pertussis has a one in 3000 chance of getting whooping cough. In contrast, a child who received the vaccine has a one in two million chance of having neurological damage with the vaccine. The risk of children getting pertussis increases if fewer children are immunized.

Diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis, and inactivated polio (dTaP-IPV) vaccine

This is the same as the above vaccine, except that it also contains the inactivated polio vaccine. The polio vaccine protects children from this now rare but crippling disease. The inactivated polio vaccine is now recommended for all polio doses.

Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine

Recent outbreaks of measles in high schools and colleges have made it necessary for children to have two MMR vaccines. They should have the first shot when they are 12 months old and the second can be at 18 months or when they are four to six years old. These diseases are nearly gone from Canada. However, they will come back if children are not fully vaccinated.

Haemophilus influenzae type b conjugate (Hib) vaccine

Haemophilus influenzae is a type of bacteria that causes several life-threatening diseases in young children such as meningitis, epiglottitis, and pneumonia. Before the vaccine was available, a large number of children developed H. influenzae meningitis each year. Some died and others became mentally retarded, blind, or deaf, or developed cerebral palsy as a result of the disease. Because of the vaccine, H. influenzae type B infection is now uncommon. The Hib vaccine does not protect against pneumonia and meningitis caused by viruses.

Hepatitis B (HepB) vaccine

Vaccination against hepatitis B prevents this type of hepatitis and the severe liver damage that can occur 20 or 30 years after a person is first infected. A significant number of adults die each year from hepatitis-related liver cancer or cirrhosis. The younger the person is when the infection occurs, the greater the risk of serious problems.

If you have an older child who was not vaccinated against hepatitis B as a baby, ask your doctor whether he or she should have the shots. Your child needs a total of three hepatitis B shots.

Chickenpox or varicella (Var) vaccine

The chickenpox vaccine is usually given between the ages of 12 and 18 months, but it can be given to older children if they have not had the vaccine or the disease yet. Children age 13 years or older should get two doses at least four weeks apart.

This vaccine is 70% to 90% effective in preventing chickenpox. If vaccinated children get chickenpox, they have a much milder form of the disease. By being vaccinated, you can reduce the chance of missed work and school, skin infections, medical costs, and getting shingles later in life.

Pneumococcal (Pneu-C) vaccine

Pneumococcal infections are serious bacterial infections that may cause pneumonia, bloodstream infections, and meningitis. The pneumococcal vaccine protects against the seven types of pneumococcal bacteria that cause most of these serious diseases. The vaccine also prevents a small percentage of ear infections caused by pneumococci.

Routine use of pneumococcal vaccine is now recommended for babies and toddlers. Some older children with serious illnesses, such as sickle cell anemia, may also benefit from the vaccine.

Meningococcal (Men-C) vaccine

Immunization for this serious, life-threatening infection is offered in infancy. If started at two months of age, three doses are recommended; if started at four to 11 months, two doses are recommended; and if started at 12 months or later, one dose is recommended.

Influenza (Flu) vaccine

Healthy children age six to 23 months are encouraged to get the influenza vaccine if possible because they are at a greater risk of getting severely ill or needing to go to the hospital because of the flu. The influenza vaccine is also recommended each year for children ages six months and older if they have certain medical risk factors. The vaccine can also be given to anyone wanting immunity. Talk to your health care provider for more information.

Other vaccines

Hepatitis A vaccine

The hepatitis A vaccine is recommended for children and teenagers in selected geographic regions, and for certain people at high risk. Talk to your health care provider or local public health department for more information.

Rotavirus vaccine

Vaccines active against rotavirus became available at the beginning of 2006. One rotavirus vaccine is a live vaccine that is administered in two oral doses, one to two months apart. The other vaccine is a live vaccine that is administered in three oral doses four to 10 weeks apart. Your child’s physician will be able to provide information about the availability of these vaccines and discuss vaccination for your child.

Reasons not to vaccinate

If any of the following conditions apply to your child, talk to your doctor before getting your child vaccinated.

• Your child had an allergic reaction to a previous vaccination.

• Your child has seizures or serious neurological disease.

• Your child has poor immunity. Children with weak immune systems should not be given live virus vaccines such as chickenpox or MMR. Because live virus vaccines live and divide within the person vaccinated, they can cause the actual disease if the immune system is very weak.

• Your child has egg allergies. Children who have a severe allergy to eggs should not receive the influenza vaccine. However, children who are allergic to eggs can receive all routine immunizations. Although the measles and mumps vaccines are grown in chick cells, the egg proteins are removed from these vaccines and the vaccines can be given without having your child skin tested for an egg allergy.

Unwarranted reasons not to vaccinate

Unnecessary precautions have led some parents to postpone or cancel scheduled immunizations. The following lists conditions that are not routine reasons for postponing or cancelling immunization. That is, a child can still be immunized even if one or more of the following conditions is true:

• the child had soreness, redness, or swelling at the injection site after a previous DTaP shot

• the child had a fever of less than 40.5°C (105°F) after a previous DTaP shot

• the child has a mild illness such as a cold, cough, or diarrhea without a fever

• the child is recovering from a mild illness such as a cold, cough, or diarrhea

• the child has recently been exposed to an infectious disease

• the child is taking antibiotics

• the child was premature

• the child's mother is pregnant

• the child is breastfeeding

• the child has allergies unless it is an egg allergy

• the child's family has a history of convulsions or sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)