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Vaccine schedules
The Infectious Diseases and Immunization Committee of the
Canadian Paediatric Society has intermittently reviewed the
recommendations for the routine immunization of children made by
the National Advisory Committee on Immunization. The purpose of
the present note is to update physicians and other health care
providers on the changes related to childhood immunization.
Included is a composite schedule for routine immunization of
healthy children and adolescents (Table 1).
Recommendations are also included for immunization under special
circumstances:
• Children
one to six years of age who were not previously immunized in
infancy (Table 2).
• For
children seven years of age and older who were not previously
immunized in infancy (Table 3).
• Vaccines
against encapsulated bacteria, for healthy children not
previously immunized in the first three to six months of life
(Table 4).
• For
children who have a clinical condition, which increases their
susceptibility to severe disease due to encapsulated bacterial
organisms, consult Table 5 for vaccines required according to
their presenting age.
Since the
committee’s last review, published in January/February 1999:
• all
provinces have introduced routine immunization programs against
hepatitis B;
• an
adolescent/adult acellular pertussis (ap) vaccine has been
licensed and recommended for use for adolescents; and
• the
7-valent conjugated pneumococcal vaccine as well as a conjugated
meningococcal type C vaccine have been licensed and recommended
for inclusion in the routine infant immunization schedule.
Canada
does not have a harmonized routine infant immunization schedule.
The schedules detailed in the present note have attempted to
account for the various provincial recommendations. As well,
some routine vaccines for special circumstances are publicly
funded in some jurisdictions but not in others. Readers are
encouraged to check with their local health departments
concerning provincial variations in both the scheduling and
funding of these vaccines.
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