Immunization & Vaccine Information for Health Professionals

Online vaccine ordering for high-risk clients and school-based vaccines. Batch order are still available for some vaccines.
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Please read the information on eligibility criteria first.

Influenza vaccination in pregnancy is safe and effective in protecting mother and baby.

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) and other expert advisories have been recommending influenza vaccination for pregnant women for many years. It is therefore considered the standard of care for pregnant women.

Note: The live attenuated influenza vaccine is contraindicated in pregnancy.

Benefits of vaccination in pregnancy

  • Protects pregnant women from hospitalizations as a result of influenza infection.
  • Infants are less likely to be born premature or with low birth weight.
  • It protects the baby from influenza in the first few months of life because the vaccinated pregnant woman passes antibodies to the baby during pregnancy.

Approaches to vaccine hesitancy

  • Be non-judgemental.
  • Be presumptive that a child will be vaccinated.
  • Never dismiss a child from practice.
  • Set aside time to counsel parents.
  • Use every visit as an opportunity to discuss vaccines.
  • Validate parental concerns and correct misconceptions.
  • Discuss the benefits and risk of vaccines versus risk of diseases.
  • Frame data clearly and positively.

 

Adapted with permission from the Canadian Paediatric Society: Working with Vaccine-Hesitant Parents: An Update September 14, 2018.

Health care practitioners are required to report AEFIs to Toronto Public Health. You can also report by calling our immunization nurses 416-338-2030.

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Vaccines can lose their effectiveness when exposed to light or temperatures outside +2°C and +8°C range. Please review the Vaccine Storage and Handling Guidelines to ensure vaccine potency and reduce wastage.

Your patients look to you for trusted advice

  • Be positive.
  • Listen to your client’s concerns.
  • Refute misinformation.
  • Encourage clients to seek credible sources for more information.
  • Integrate adult vaccination into your primary care.
  • Address waning immunity in diseases more common to adults.
  • Assess client risks based on their occupation, travel habits, underlying illness, lifestyle and/or age.
  • Vaccines for adults may not prevent the onset of disease, but will at least reduce disease severity.