Vaccines411 Immunization Brochure

WHAT IMMUNIZATIONS* DO YOU NEED TODAY?

To help determine what immunizations you might need, check the boxes on the questionnaire below that apply to you. Then, select the immunizations you may need on the checklist and take it to your healthcare professional to review. If you're uncertain which immunizations you may have already had, discuss this with your healthcare professional.

* Some restrictions may apply. Ask your healthcare professional for details.

COVID-19 VACCINATION¹

• I am at least 6 months of age.
• It has been at least 6 months since my last COVID-19 vaccination or infection.
• I have not received the updated Spikevax mRNA COVID-19 vaccine [Moderna] [targeting the Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5.]
• I am pregnant.
• I am immunocompromised or at increased risk due to an underlying medical condition.
• I provide essential community services.
• I live in long-term care or a group setting.
• I am from a First Nations, Métis, Inuit or racialized community.

MENINGOCOCCAL VACCINATION^2,3

• I am age 18 or younger, am attending school, and haven't had a meningococcal shot since my 16th birthday.
• I am traveling to an area of the world where meningococcal disease is common.
• I am a microbiologist routinely exposed to isolates of Neisseria meningitidis.
• I was previously vaccinated 5 or more years ago and continue to be at risk for meningococcal disease.
• I have not been vaccinated against all 5 main strains of meningococcal bacteria (A, C, W, Y and now B**).

**The vaccine against strain B meningococcal bacteria first became available in Canada in early 2014.

SHINGLES (ZOSTER) VACCINATION⁴

• I am age 50 or older and have not received the Recombinant Zoster Vaccine, RZV (approved by Health Canada in 2017) to protect against shingles or its reoccurrence.

INFLUENZA VACCINATION⁴

• I haven't had my seasonal (early fall to late spring) flu vaccination.
• I am at risk for influenza complications, and / or I want protection against influenza.
• I have contact with children less than 5 years of age or other high-risk individuals.

HEPATITIS A VACCINATION⁵

• I have occupational or lifestyle risks and / or I want protection against hepatitis A.
• I was vaccinated with hepatitis A vaccine in the past but never received a second shot.
• I receive repeated replacement of plasma-derived clotting factors.
• I might have been exposed to the hepatitis A virus in the past 2 weeks.
• I haven't completed the 2-dose series of hepatitis A, and:
  • I travel or plan to travel to countries where hepatitis A is common.
  • I will have contact with an adopted child within the first 60 days of their arrival from a country where hepatitis A is common.
• I am a man who has sex with men.
• I use street drugs.
• I have chronic liver disease.

HEPATITIS B VACCINATION⁶

• I have occupational or lifestyle risks and / or I want protection against hepatitis B.
• I was vaccinated with hepatitis B vaccine in the past but never completed the full 3-dose series.
• I haven’t completed the 3-dose series of hepatitis B shots, and:
  • I am sexually active and am not in a long-term, mutually monogamous relationship.
  • I am a man who has sex with men.
  • I am an immigrant from an area of the world where hepatitis B is common.
  • I live with or have sex with a person with hepatitis B.
  • I have been diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease.
  • I inject street drugs.
  • I have chronic liver disease.
  • I am or will be on kidney dialysis.
  • I provide direct services for people with developmental disabilities.
  • I travel or plan to travel outside of Canada to destinations where Hepatitis B is common.
• I have Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes and wish to lower my risk of hepatitis B.

PNEUMOCOCCAL VACCINATION^4,7

• I am age 65 or older, and:
  • I have never had a pneumococcal shot, or
  • it has been 5 years or more since the last shot.
• I am younger than age 65, I have not had a pneumococcal shot, and may be at increased risk because:
  • I live in a long term care facility.
  • I smoke cigarettes.
  • I have heart, lung (including asthma), liver, or kidney disease.
  • I have diabetes.
  • I have alcoholism.
  • I have a medical condition that affects my immune system (eg, HIV) or requires immune suppressing treatment.
  • I have required medical attention for asthma in the past 12 months.

TETANUS, DIPHTHERIA, AND PERTUSSIS (WHOOPING COUGH) (TD & TDAP)⁴

• I have not had or am not aware of having a vaccine containing tetanus or pertussis (Tdap) as an adolescent or adult.
• It has been 10 years or more since I received any tetanus and diphtheria-containing shots.
• I am in contact with infants and want to reduce the risk of transmitting pertussis to those who are too young to be fully protected.
• I am pregnant and have not received Tdap to protect me and my baby against whooping cough (pertussis).

HUMAN PAPILLOMA VIRUS (HPV) VACCINATION⁸

• I am a female between the ages of 9 and 45, with or without a history of abnormal Pap tests, genital warts, or HPV infection.
• I am a male between the ages of 9 and 26, with or without a history of genital warts, or HPV infection.
• I am an adult male or female with an HPV infection.

RSV (RESPIRATORY SYNCYTIAL VIRUS) VACCINATION⁹

RSV vaccine

• I am an adult at least 60 years of age.

Until vaccine is available for people under age 60, immunoprophylaxis is advised for [some] infants:

• Born at less than 30 weeks gestational age, and less than 6 months old during the RSV season.
• Less than < 24 months of age with chronic lung disease (CLD), heart disease, or who are immunocompromised.

"TALK TO YOUR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL TODAY
TO UNDERSTAND YOUR VACCINATION NEEDS"

NOTE: Adults who travel may need additional vaccinations. Talk to your healthcare professional or visit a Travel Clinic.

Find a vaccinating clinic offering adult vaccines

Visit the Vaccines411 resource pages to learn more about immunizations for flu, infants and children, rabies, travel, and mosquito bites.

References:

1. An Advisory Committee Statement (ACS) National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI). Addendum to the guidance on the use of COVID-19 vaccines in the fall of 2023. 2023-09.
2. Public Health Agency of Canada. Canadian Immunization Guide: Part 4 - Active Vaccines: Meningococcal Vaccine. Updated 2020-02.
3. Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. Health Canada Approves Bexsero*, the First Vaccine Available to Prevent Meningococcal Serogroup B (MenB). Updated 2013-12.
4. Public Health Agency of Canada. Canadian Immunization Guide: Part 3 - Vaccination of Specific Populations: Immunization of Adults. Updated 2015-07. Last partial content update 2023-09.
5. Public Health Agency of Canada. Canadian Immunization Guide: Part 4 - Active Vaccines: Hepatitis A Vaccine. Last partial content update 2021-11.
6. Public Health Agency of Canada. Canadian Immunization Guide: Part 4 - Active Vaccines: Hepatitis B Vaccine. Updated 2017-03.
7. Public Health Agency of Canada. Canadian Immunization Guide: Part 4 - Active Vaccines: Pneumococcal Vaccine. Updated 2016-10.
8. Public Health Agency of Canada. Canadian Immunization Guide: Part 4 - Active Vaccines: Human Papillomavirus Vaccine. Updated 2017-05.
9. Public Health Agency of Canada. Canadian Immunization Guide: Part 4 - Active Vaccines: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) 2023-03.