Adults

Immunization is not just for kids! At any age, vaccination provides the longest-lasting, most effective protection against disease. Childhood immunization does not provide lifelong immunity against some diseases such as tetanus (lockjaw) and diphtheria.

Adults require helper, or booster, shots to maintain immunity. As well, adults who were not adequately immunized as children may be at risk of infection from other vaccine-preventable diseases. They can also infect others. For example, adults who contract measles, mumps or pertussis (whooping cough) can infect infants who may not yet be fully immunized. Many new vaccines are only for adults, e.g. herpes zoster (shingles). It is important for adults to stay up to date on their immunizations.

Check out our resources and share with your network!

Download your adult immunization record

Adult Immunization Record

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It is your responsibility to keep a personal record of the immunizations (vaccines) you have had in your lifetime.

Keep it in a safe place with your other personal medical information.
Bring it with you each time you are immunized so it can be updated.

If you do not already have a card or booklet to keep track of your immunizations, ask your doctor, nurse or local public health office if they provide these. You can also download the CANImmunize app to track your immunizations, or print our Adult Immunization Record.

If you do not know what immunizations you or your children have had, you can:

Check with your doctor, who may have a record in your file.
Check with the local public health office where you were immunized as a child. Most public health offices maintain a registry of childhood immunizations in their area.
Check with your employer. Some employers keep proof of immunization (e.g. military).

Information about your province or territory's adult vaccine schedule can be found here.

Vaccine Abbreviations:

Your record will probably have abbreviations of the vaccines you received.
An explanation of the abbreviations can be found in the Canadian Immunization Guide.

Adult immunization: What vaccines do you need?

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Some vaccines – usually received in childhood – provide lifelong protection. Others may require boosters later on.

Some new vaccines are only for adults.

Immunization recommendations for adults begin with the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI).

NACI recommends immunization to protect against these diseases:

Not all NACI-recommended vaccines are publicly funded by provincial and territorial governments.

Information about your province’s or territory’s routine immunization schedule for healthy previously immunized adults, including which vaccines are publicly funded, can be found here.

And here:

If you want a recommended vaccine that is not publicly funded, you may need to get a prescription from your physician and purchase the vaccine at a pharmacy, or ask your pharmacist if you can be immunized in the pharmacy.

Recommended vaccines may vary based on your health or occupation. For more information about the vaccines you may need, contact your health care provider or local public health office.

Further readings:

Government of Canada: Health Vaccination for adults.
Public Health Agency of Canada: An Adult’s Guide to Vaccination.
Government of Canada: Provincial and Territorial Routine Vaccination Programs for Healthy, Previously Immunized Adults. This table summarizes the current routine (publicly-funded) vaccination schedule for healthy, previously immunized adults in all provinces and territories (P/T) across Canada.

Adults with Chronic Health Conditions

Immunizations are a safe and effective way to protect against vaccine-preventable diseases and the spread of these diseases. Immunization is especially important in adults with chronic conditions, who are more likely to experience complications from infectious diseases, including more severe and long-term illness, hospitalization, and even death.

If you have a chronic health condition or are in close contact with someone who does, talk with your health care provider, nurse, pharmacist, or local public health office about your immunization status and the immunizations that are recommended for you.

Listed below are some of the immunization recommendations for people with certain chronic conditions. If you have a chronic condition not listed below, consult your health care provider, nurse, pharmacist, or local public health office about vaccines that will protect you.

Chronic Heart Disease

People with chronic heart disease are at higher risk of experiencing serious complications from viral and bacterial infection that can worsen their heart condition and lead to hospitalization.

Those with chronic heart disease are recommended to receive the influenza (flu) vaccine every year and the pneumococcal vaccine.

Chronic Lung Disease

People with chronic lung disease, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis, or other disorders that affect the lungs are at increased risk for complication from influenza and pneumococcal infection. People with chronic lung diseases have sensitive airways which can worsen from infection, no matter how well controlled or mild the symptoms are.

People with chronic lung disease, including smokers, are recommended to receive the influenza (flu) vaccine each year and the pneumococcal vaccine.

Diabetes

People with diabetes often have complications from diabetes that can affect their immune systems’ ability to fight off infection, even those with well-managed diabetes. This puts these individuals at greater risk for complication and hospitalization from infection.

People with diabetes are recommended to receive the influenza (flu) vaccine each year and the pneumococcal vaccine.

Chronic Liver Disease

People with chronic liver disease experience impaired immune function that can limit their ability to fight off infection and can increase the risk of complication and hospitalization.

People with chronic liver disease are recommended to receive pneumococcal and hepatitis A and B vaccines. Annual immunization with the influenza vaccine is also recommended.

Chronic Kidney Disease

People with chronic kidney disease or those who are undergoing dialysis are at increased risk of infection that can lead to complication and hospitalization from vaccine-preventable diseases.

People with kidney disease or those undergoing dialysis are recommended to receive hepatitis B and pneumococcal vaccines. Annual immunization with the influenza vaccine is also recommended.

Pain Management During Immunization for Adults

Immunizations are a routine part of medical care from childhood to adulthood. The pain caused by vaccinations can be upsetting, causing unnecessary stress and anxiety for some adults, who may then delay or avoid vaccinations, leaving them without protection from serious disease.

Below are some tips you can use to help reduce the stress, anxiety and pain when it comes to immunizations.

For additional resources on pain management, visit our CARD™ (C - Comfort, A - Ask, R - Relax, D - Distract) webpage here

1. What can you do?

Body position

Pick the most comfortable position for you. For example, you can sit upright or lie down, whatever is the most relaxing for you.
Relax your arm. It may help to dangle your arm and then reposition it to ensure that your arm and muscles are completely relaxed.

2. What you can use?

Topical anaesthetic

In Canada, you can buy topical anaesthetics to reduce the pain from vaccination without a prescription: EMLA^TM (lidocaine-prilocaine), Ametop^TM (tetracaine), or Maxilene^TM (lidocaine).
Apply to your upper arm before immunization.
These products take 30-60 minutes to numb the skin. Your skin may temporarily appear whiter or redder than normal.
Ask your health care provider about correct placement of the product.

3. How can you act?

Stay calm

Take a few deep breaths to calm yourself.
Breathe so your belly expands, not your chest. Breaths should be deep and then slowly exhaled.

Distract yourself

Take your attention away from the pain.
Use conversation, music, video, reading, pictures, or smartphones, and/or simply look away.