Vaccine safety
Vaccines used in Canada are safe and effective. They are developed to meet the highest standards, with rigorous independent review of scientific evidence, and are continually monitored for safety and effectiveness before they are approved for use.
Canada’s laws and regulations uphold rigorous criteria for vaccine development, safety, and testing. Canada also has strong systems in place to coordinate and monitor vaccines entering the market to be sold to the public.
On average, it takes about 10 years of research and development before a vaccine is considered for approval by Health Canada. Following approval, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization recommends how the vaccine should be used.
Monitoring vaccine safety:
Once vaccines are made available to the public, they are regularly monitored for safety by:
- the Public Health Agency of Canada through its Canadian Adverse Events Following Immunization Surveillance System (CAEFISS), with the assistance of public health officials and individual health care providers
- IMPACT (Immunization Monitoring Program ACTive), a paediatric hospital-based national active surveillance network for adverse events following immunization, vaccine failures and selected infectious diseases in children that are, or are soon to be, vaccine preventable.
Should any safety concerns arise, they can be removed from market.
Risks versus benefits:
As with any medical procedure, immunization has some risks. Individuals may react differently to vaccines. When considering immunization, both the risks and the benefits should be discussed with a qualified health care provider. The benefits of immunization are substantial and well documented.
Vaccine side effects:
Like any medication, vaccines can cause reactions and side effects. After vaccination, people may experience mild side effects. This is normal; the body is building immunity against the vaccine-preventable disease. Serious reactions are very rare – less than 1 in a million – but they can happen. A small number of Canadians may have an ‘adverse event’ after vaccination, caused either by the vaccine or by the administration of the vaccine.
Pan-Canadian Vaccine Injury Support Program
Building on the Québec model in place for over thirty years – and bringing Canada in line with the other G7 countries which have similar programs – a pan-Canadian Vaccine Injury Support Program was implemented by the Public Health Agency of Canada in June 2021. It is a no-fault program for all vaccines approved by Health Canada.
To read more on vaccine safety:
- Canadian Paediatric Society. Caring for Kids.
- Public Health Agency of Canada. Vaccine Safety in Canada video (YouTube).
- Public Health Agency of Canada. Vaccine Safety in Canada poster.
- The Vaccine Safety Net is a global network of websites, evaluated by the World Health Organization, that provide reliable information on vaccine safety.