Specialty Immunizations - Pediatric and Adult

About

Specialty Immunization clinics provide immunization services to adult/children with complex medical conditions which may affect their responses to immunizations. The team consists of public health and preventive medicine physicians and public health nurses who conduct standard patient assessments and evaluate vaccine safety in patients and provide appropriate immunizations for preventable diseases.

Who qualifies? (include information on pediatric and adult)

Individuals at high risk for vaccine preventable diseases.

Individuals who have certain chronic medical conditions or who are immunocompromised related to disease or medical treatments are unable to mount adequate immune responses to vaccines. 

The cause of the altered immunocompetent state can be primary (inherited) or secondary (acquired), and it can be temporary or permanent. 

In these individuals, even a less than optimal immune response to a vaccine may provide protective benefits to reduce their high risk of morbidity and mortality from vaccine-preventable diseases.

Chronic medical condition examples:

• Cochlear implant candidate or recipient* 
• Congenital or acquired or functional asplenia*
• Liver disease (including hepatitis B and C)
• Malignancies /cancer
• Renal disease 

Immunocompromised condition examples: 

• Acquired complement deficiency* or congenital immunodeficiency* involving any part of the immune system, including B-lymphocyte (humoral) immunity, T-lymphocyte (cell- mediated) immunity, complement system (properdin, or factor D deficiencies), or phagocytic functions 
• Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)*
• Immunosuppressive treatments (e.g., corticosteroids, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, post-organ-transplant therapy*, certain anti-rheumatic drugs, and drugs used for the management of inflammatory bowel disease)
• Transplant candidate or recipient - islet cell, solid organ* or tissue 
• Transplant candidate or recipient - islet cell, solid organ* or tissue 
• Transplant recipient - haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT)*

* These individuals have a very high risk of infection from encapsulated bacteria such as Streptococcus pneumonia, Neisseria meningitidis, and Haemophilus influenzae type b.

How to refer/access

Can be a self-referral or a referral from your specialist, physician or family physician.

Publicly funded

The Specialized Immunization Clinic provides publicly funded vaccines to those who qualify.