Click on the links below to learn more about diseases that can be prevented by a vaccine.
ROUTINE vaccines are given for the following diseases:
RECOMMENDED, but optional, vaccines are given for the following diseases:
DIPHTHERIA is a very serious bacterial infection. It can cause breathing problems, heart failure, paralysis (loss of control over muscles in the body) and death.
TOP
TETANUS (lockjaw) causes painful muscle spasms, breathing failure and can lead to death. It is caused by bacteria and spores in the soil that can infect wounds.
TOP
POLIO can cause paralysis (loss of control over muscles in the body), inflammation of the brain and death. People get polio from drinking water or eating food with the polio virus in it. It is no longer common in Canada because of high immunization rates, but cases do occur elsewhere in the world and may be acquired when travelling.
TOP
MEASLES causes rash, high fever, cough, runny nose and watery eyes. It can cause middle ear infection, pneumonia (lung infection), inflammation of the brain, hearing loss, brain damage and death.
TOP
MUMPS causes fever, headache and painful swelling of the glands in the mouth and neck, earache and inflammation of the brain. It can cause temporary or permanent deafness and swelling of the ovaries in women and testes in men, possibly leading to sterility.
TOP
RUBELLA (German measles) causes fever, rash, swelling of the neck glands and swelling and pain in the joints. It can cause bruising and bleeding. If a pregnant woman gets rubella, it can be very dangerous for the unborn baby.
TOP
PERTUSSIS (whooping cough) causes severe coughing spells for weeks or months. It can also cause pneumonia (lung infection), middle ear infection, convulsions (seizures), inflammation of the brain and death. The risk of complications is greatest in children younger than one year of age.
TOP
ROTAVIRUS is a virus that causes severe diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration among infants and children in the world.
TOP
HEPATITIS B is a virus that can cause serious liver problems that can be fatal, such as liver failure and liver cancer. The vaccine is free to grade 7 students and certain high-risk groups (including infants born to mothers who are infected with hepatitis B and can pass the disease on to their babies).
TOP
VARICELLA (Chicken pox) is a highly contagious viral infection. It can cause fever, headache, chills, muscle or joint aches a day or two before the itchy, red rash appears. A pregnant woman with chicken pox can pass it on to her unborn baby. Mothers with chicken pox can also give it to their newborn baby after birth. Chicken pox can be very severe or even life-threatening to newborn babies.
TOP
MENINGOCOCCAL DISEASE GROUP C (Men C) is a very serious bacterial infection and a common cause of meningitis (infection of the lining of the brain and spinal cord) and meningococcaemia (severe infection of the blood) that can cause severe complications and death.
TOP
INFLUENZA (flu) is a viral infection that causes cough, high fever, chills, headache and muscle pain. It can cause pneumonia (infection of the lungs), middle ear infections, heart failure and death. The danger of this infection varies from year to year depending on the strain and can be mild to life-threatening. Anyone six months of age and older can get the vaccine each year free of charge.
TOP
HAEMOPHILUS INFLUENZAE (Hib) is a bacteria that can infect any part of the body. It can cause middle ear infections, breathing problems, damage to joints, pneumonia (lung infection), inflammation of the brain leading to brain damage and death.
TOP
PNEUMOCOCCAL DISEASE (Pneumococcal Disease) is a bacterial infection that can cause serious illnesses such as pneumonia, blood infection and meningitis (infection of the brain. The pneumo conjugate vaccine protects children against these invasive illnesses. The pneumo poly vaccine is given to adults over the age of 65, once in their lifetime. This vaccine protects against bacterial pneumonia.
TOP
Human Papillomarvirus (HPV) is a group of viruses and each type can have different affects on the body. Some do not cause any harm to the body, while other types can lead to cervical cancer and genital warts. The vaccine protects against four types of HPV that cause 70% of cervical cancers and 90% of genital warts.
TOP