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Adult Immunization Record
Keeping track of your immunizations as an adult is an important self-care step that can prevent a lot of confusion in the future. Click on the "Print Document" icon at the top of the page and print it out. Fill out with pen and keep with your other health records.
Canadian Immunization Guide, 5th Edition (most recent)
The Canadian Immunization Guide contains important regulations and recommendations with regard to vaccination schedules, adverse reaction reporting and many other important issues. Descriptions and information about each vaccination type is also found within the guide. See Below.
Definitions Of Terms Related to Immunization
Very informative glossary of terms -- keep on hand when researching the topic and you will soon be an expert on the subject!
Diphtheria, Tetanus & Pertussis (DTP & DTaP) Vaccines
Diphtheria, tetanus (lockjaw), and pertussis (whooping cough) are serious diseases. Diphtheria and pertussis spread when an infected person spreads germs to others, through the nose or throat. Tetanus results from a germ that enters the body through a cut or wound. Vaccination is the best way to reduce the risk of diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis. Since most children get these vaccines, there are now many fewer cases of these diseases.
General Info - What You Should Know About Adult Immunizations
If you think immunization is kid's stuff, you might want to reconsider. Although childhood immunizations continue to be a major and controversial focus of preventive health, adults are also subject to many vaccine-preventable diseases such as hepatitis, rubella, tetanus, diphtheria, pneumonia, and influenza. Vaccines are also important in protecting against diseases that may be prevalent while traveling in other countries, such as cholera, malaria, and yellow fever.
Haemophilus Influenzae Type B (Hib) Vaccine
Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) disease is a serious disease caused by bacteria. It usually affects children under 5 years old. Hib vaccine can prevent Hib disease. Many more children would get Hib disease if we stopped vaccinating. Before Hib vaccine, about 2000 children in Canada under 5 years old got severe Hib disease each year and nearly 100 people died.
Hepatitis B Vaccine
About 125,000 people in Canada have chronic HBV infection. Each year it is estimated that 8000 people, mostly young adults, get infected with HBV and 400 to 500 people die from chronic hepatitis B in Canada. Hepatitis B vaccine can prevent hepatitis B. It is the first anti-cancer vaccine because it can prevent a form of liver cancer.
Influenza Vaccine (flu shot)
Influenza, also known as the “flu,” is a potentially serious disease caused by a virus. The virus spreads from infected persons to the nose or throat of others causes influenza. In Canada, the “flu season" is from November through April each year.
Measle, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) Vaccine
Measles mumps and rubella are serious diseases that can have debilitating or even fatal side effects. While the vaccines for these diseases happen to carry some of the highest rates of side effects of the vaccines , these childhood disease do need to be avoided at all costs and as a result doctors uniformly recommend immunization
Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine
Infection with streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria can cause serious illness and death. Invasive pneumococcal disease is responsible for about 10-20 deaths each year among children under 5 years old in Canada.
Polio Vaccine
No wild polio has been reported in Canada for over 20 years. But the disease is still common in some parts of the world. It would only take one case of polio from another country to bring the disease back if we were not protected by vaccine. If the effort to eliminate the disease from the world is successful, some day we won’t need polio vaccine. Until then, we need to keep getting our children vaccinated.
The Chickenpox Vaccine
The chickenpox vaccine is still somewhat controversial due to the fact that is is very new. However, those who feel that avoiding this childhood disease is very important, or adults who have not had chickenpox and wish to avoid the more serious adult form of chickenpox, may feel taking the vaccine is worth the minor risks.
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