Immunization

Getting your child immunized, and immunized on time, is one of the most important ways to keep them healthy.

Thanks to immunization, childhood diseases have become rare and some have almost disappeared. If we neglect immunization, these diseases could reappear and become a threat to children and adults alike.

Public Health nurses provide immunization to infants, children and adolescents.

How to make an appointment

• Call your local Public Health office.
• Call your physician or nurse practitioner.
• Call another health care provider that offers vaccines.

What can I expect at my child’s appointment?

Immunizations can make you and your child anxious. Learn how to make your child’s immunization experience a positive one.

You will be asked to wait for 15 minutes after your immunizations as there is a rare possibility of a life-threatening allergic reaction called anaphylaxis. The chance of this reaction occurring is less than one in a million.

Can someone other than myself bring my child to his or her immunization appointment?

If you are having your child immunized at your local Public Health office, someone other than you may take your child for his or her immunizations provided you, parent or guardian, has given the initial consent for the infant series of vaccines.

The adult taking your child will need to be able to answer questions related to your child’s health, such as medical conditions and allergies.

Plan to be available by phone during your child’s appointment in case the public health nurse has questions that the accompanying adult cannot answer.

What can I expect after my child is immunized?

Most children are fine after vaccination. Your child may have no reaction at all to the vaccine. In some cases, your child may:

• be fussy;
• be sleepier than usual;
• have a low fever; or
• have a sore, swollen, or red spot where the needle went in.

These reactions are normal and usually last between 1 to 2 days.

If you or your child experience side effects, do the following:

• Hold and cuddle your child.
• Apply a clean, cool, wet cloth to sore area.
• Let your child move around as usual – movement helps the soreness go away.
• A lump may form under the skin and could last for 1 to 4 weeks
• You can give your child medicine to help with the pain or lower the fever. Ask your health care provider what medicine is best.

Note:  Never give aspirin (ASA) to children under 18 years of age.

If you are concerned about a reaction after your immunizations, contact your doctor, pharmacist or Public Health nurse.

If your child has any serious reactions within 4 weeks of being immunized, it is important to inform your immunization provider.

Resources

• Caring for Your Child Before and After Immunization
• A Parent’s Guide to Vaccination
• Pain management during vaccination
• Whooping cough
• Measles
• Vaccine Fact Sheets

Getting your child immunized, and immunized on time, is one of the most important ways to keep them healthy.

Vaccines protect infants and preschoolers from the risks of complications from diseases that can be prevented by immunization.

According to the Public Health Act, infants and preschool children in licensed daycares in New Brunswick must demonstrate proof of immunization against vaccine preventable diseases.

Each year, Public Health nurses assess the immunization record of children in licensed daycares to:

• Ensure that daycares have proof of immunization for each child;
• Give parents/legal guardians an opportunity to bring their child’s immunizations up to date.

The Act allows parents or legal guardians to refuse immunization for medical reasons or objections. The exemption form is available through the daycare or the provincial Public Health website.

Depending on the child’s age and the Routine Immunization Schedule (New Brunswick), the record should show that the child has been immunized against:

• Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), polio, Haemophilus influenzaetype B vaccine;
• Pneumococcal vaccine.
• Measles , mumps, rubella, varicella (chicken pox) vaccine
• Meningococcal vaccine

Resources

• Public Health Act
• Required Immunization for Children Attending Daycare
• Immunization Exemption Form for Daycare

Getting your child immunized, and immunized on time, is one of the most important ways to keep them healthy. To be better protected, your child should receive a preschool booster at 4 years of age.

Infectious diseases can spread among children and adolescents at school who are not vaccinated.

Immunization minimizes the risk that an outbreak of a vaccine-preventable disease will occur and ensures that students are protected in the event that an outbreak does occur.

You can help protect your children by getting them vaccinated on time and keeping their shots up-to-date.

According to the Public Health Act, children entering school for the first time in New Brunswick must demonstrate proof of immunization against vaccine preventable diseases.

Each year, Public Health nurses assess the immunization record of children entering schools for the first time to:

• Ensure that schools have proof of immunization for each student.
• Give parents/legal guardians an opportunity to bring their child’s immunizations up to date.

The Act allows parents or legal guardians to refuse immunization for medical reasons or objections. The exemption form is available at the schools or on the government website.

Children must have received the adequate number of doses to ensure optimal protection. Upon school registration, kindergarten children must show proof of immunization (record):

• Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), polio vaccine (includes the  preschool booster at 4 years of age)
• Measles , mumps, rubella vaccine
• Varicella (chicken pox) vaccine
• Meningococcal vaccine

Resources

• Education Act
• Public Health Act
• Immunization Exemption Form for School Entry

As children get older, the protection from infant immunizations can wear off. Children can also be at risk of new diseases as they enter their pre-teen and teen years.

Immunization in New Brunswick schools:

• Promotes the beneficial effects of immunization to children, adolescents and parents;
• Provides immunizations based on the Routine Immunization Schedule (New Brunswick).

Public Health nurses immunize children and adolescents in schools against vaccine preventable diseases.

Consent is required from parents or legal guardians to immunize children under 16. Adolescents 16 and older can decide for themselves whether they want to be vaccinated. They are given all the information they need to make an informed decision.

Routine school-age immunizations are free.

Information and consent forms for Grade 7 and Grade 9 will be sent home either at the beginning of the school year or a few months before the school clinic. Please complete andsign the consent form whether you accept or refuse that your child be vaccinated and return it to your child’s school.

It is recommended and encouraged that parents/guardians discuss consent for immunization with their children.

Grade 7 immunizations

The following vaccines are routinely offered to all students in Grade 7:

• Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine (2 doses)
• Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis (Tdap) vaccine (1 dose)

Grade 9 immunizations

The following vaccines are routinely offered to all students in Grade 9:

• Meningococcal Quadrivalent Vaccine (A,C,Y,W-135) (1 dose)

Parents of a school-aged child who is not enrolled in a public school can contact their local Public Health office for more information.

What can I expect after my child is immunized?

Common side effects are pain, redness, and swelling at the injection site, mild headache, fever and body aches.

Please note: As is the case with any vaccine, there is a small risk that a serious allergic reaction can occur. Therefore, students are asked to remain on site for at least 15 minutes after the vaccine is given so that possible immediate reactions can be monitored and treated.

How to treat fever and pain:

• A cold compress on the injection site may reduce discomfort.
• You may give your child acetaminophen (e.g., Tylenol®) or ibuprofen (e.g., Advil®).
• Acetylsalicylic acid (ASA or Aspirin®) should NOT be given to children younger than 18 due to its link to Reye’s syndrome.

If you are concerned about a reaction after your immunizations, contact your doctor, pharmacist or public health nurse.

If your child has any serious reactions within 4 weeks of being immunized, it is important to inform Public Health.

Resources

• Immunization FAQs – Government of New Brunswick
• Preparing Children for School Vaccinations: A Parent’s Guide (Pain Management)
• The CARD System for Pain Management (For Students)

The best way to protect yourself from seasonal influenza is to be vaccinated every year. People who are immunized protect themselves and others.

The influenza vaccine is free for:

• Those at high risk for influenza complications;
• Those who live with these persons.

Public Health nurses administer the influenza vaccine:

• To healthy infants/children aged 6 months to 59 months (before age 5).

To make an appointment:

• Call your local Public Health office
• Call your physician or nurse practitioner
• Call a certified pharmacist

Resources

• Free Influenza Vaccine (eligible groups)
• Influenza (vaccine and seasonal influenza)

Immunization is safe and effective. Vaccines help people to protect themselves and their children against the risks of complications from illnesses that are preventable by immunization.

New Brunswick residents have access to free vaccines in accordance with the Routine Immunization Schedule through their family physician, nurse practioner or pharmacist

For information on an immunization record, contact the organization or health professional that administered the vaccine directly.

There is no single schedule of immunizations for travellers. Each schedule must be personalized based on:

• Vaccines previously received;
• Countries being visited;
• Nature and length of the trip;
• Time remaining before departure.

For consultation and vaccination, you may contact your local travel health clinic.

For information on an immunization record, contact the organization or health professional that administered the vaccine directly.

Resources

• Travel Vaccines
• Yellow Fever Vaccination Centres in Canada

Competency in immunization practice leads to higher vaccine coverage rates, which in turn will maintain the highest possible degree of community protection against vaccine preventable diseases.

The New Brunswick Immunization Program Guide:

• Provides direction to all health care practitioners who provide publicly funded vaccines;
• Outlines legislation, policies and standards necessary in the provision of safe, effective and competent immunization practice;
• Gives direction to vaccinators with respect to provincial practices;
• Is intended to be used in conjunction with the Canadian Immunization Guide.

The New Brunswick Immunization Program Guide is updated periodically to reflect changes in evidence and resources.

For copies of the blank Immunization records (infants and children or adult) please contact your local public health office.

All other forms related to immunization or vaccines can  be found here.

A person without a written immunization record, or proof of having had disease, is considered unimmunized and unprotected.

Where can I get my immunization records?

When you get an immunization in N.B., a paper record is provided. If you no longer have a copy of your immunization record, you can request a copy of your record in the following ways:

If you received immunizations from Public Health, you can obtain your records by contacting us at the email address for your area below:

• Fredericton: LVImmu@gnb.ca
• Upper River Valley: UVImmunization@gnb.ca
• Miramichi: HorizonMiramichi@gnb.ca
• Saint John: PHSjrecords@gnb.ca

If you received immunizations from another health care provider, you can obtain your records can by contacting this health care provider.

If you have moved to N.B. from out of province or country and do not have a copy of your immunization records, try to get your immunization records sent to you.

Getting your immunization records takes a few steps but it is a worthwhile process.

Are your immunization records up-to-date?

To find out if your immunization records are up-to-date:

• Use the Government of Canada’s Immunization Schedule Tool
• Review your records with your family doctor or a public health nurse.

What do I do if my infant, child or adolescent’s immunization record is not up-to-date?

If you have no immunization records or your records show that there are missing vaccines, you can call and ask to speak to a public health nurse to talk about what vaccines are recommended. You will be asked to provide the immunization records that you have or may obtain.  The nurse will review and schedule an appointment.

Keep your records in a safe place.

In New Brunswick, you are required to show immunization records for daycare and school.

You may also be required to show immunization records for work, summer camps, college, university or to travel.

 Immunization Record – Children

Immunization Record – Adults