Rebecca1980

We are moving to Alberta in Dec. My son would be almost 1 year old. I am a bit confused about his routine vaccinations. He is up to date with his UK routine ones and right at the time we plan to move he is going to be due to get his Hib/MenC and MMR vaccines. Looking at the vaccination schedules in Alberta it looks like babies there get MenC earlier and now I dont know whether to get him vaccinated here eariler or wait and get to Alberta. Anyone has any experinece of moving with a baby under 1 year old and immunisation in Canada?

charlottyb

I am a Public Health Nurse here in BC, it is us that does the immunizations ! In Alberta also (other than the handful of doctors that still do it). Alberta now has a very similar immunization schedule to us in BC. Infants at 12 months receive their MMR/Varicella (Chickenpox) , Men C and Pneumo 13. We offer catch up immunizations to children that move into BC from other province and countries, you would need to drop off the immunization record you have from the UK for them to add it to their records.
Immunizations are provided free even if you do not have MSP (BC healthcare) here. You would call your nearest Public Health Unit and book an appointment.

Allie73

My kids were vaccinated in the UK and their vaccine schedule was not acceptable to the health department where we live in Ontario. They've had to repeat some of their vaccines. I made an appointment with their GP to make sure this was safe, but I wasn't thrilled to do it. My kids were 4 and 6 when we moved here. Maybe sent an email to the healh department where you'll be moving so you have something in writing if they give you a hard time later on.

Rebecca1980

Allie73

Chickenpox isn't a mandatory vaccine in Ontario, but I'm not sure about Alberta. All of my kids had the chicken pox as toddlers before we moved to Canada. Since we've moved here, they all had blood work done for various health reasons and at the same time, the GP had them tested for chicken pox immunity. All 3 ot them tested immune to chicken pox since they had severe enough cases of it before we moved, so the vaccine was determined to unncessary. My advice would be to find out the vaccine schedule for Alberta and get your baby vaccinated according to that schedule, then make sure you have an official record from your GP when you move here. This has been a VERY frustrating thing to deal with for me. I've had a letter from the health department via my kids' school every single year for 5 years with threats of my kids being removed from school because of vaccination issues. Every year I respond and clarify and the next year I get another letter with another issue.

Siouxie

Handy Chart for Alberta

When to Immunize | AHS Immunization
It includes MenC / MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella /Chickenpox) / HiB - look in the right hand column for 'common names'
and for diseases covered: http://immunizealberta.ca/i-need-kno...seases-covered

UK ones for comparison https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/childhood-vaccines-timeline/
https://www.babycentre.co.uk/a101166...schedule-chart
Chickenpox (Rubella) vaccine is available in the UK as an option.. see NHS page above

charlottyb

I checked at work for you on the Alberta schedule. Hib is given as part of the DTaP-IPV-Hib 18 month booster, the same as in BC.
If we see children that have been given their MMR And Men C-C before the age of 12 months, we recommend repeating the doses, as they are classed as invalid doses otherwise. It is down to licensing of the product in Canada and also the Provincial recommendations. But in BC, and Alberta I think, Vaccines are not mandatory for school entry, which means you can decline.
Men B is not provided free at this time in BC, I understand Alberta does not offer it either.

Rebecca1980

peeshpie

Rebecca1980