Give your kids their best shot

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It’s easy to update your child’s vaccinations

In B.C.'s Interior, childhood vaccination rates are lower than expected. You can help get us on track and keep everyone safe by following the immunization schedule. It’s time to get up to date.

Check your child's vaccine status

Anyone 12 years and older can access their personal health records, including immunization, in one place: Health Gateway. It's accessible through the BC Services Card app. Parents with children 11 years and younger can add their child as a dependent in Health Gateway to see their immunization history.

Visit our Immunization Records webpage to learn more

View the childhood vaccine schedule

ImmunizeBC provides schedules that list the vaccines recommended for children.

View schedule for children between the ages of 0-6

View schedule for children in grades 6-9

Learn where your child can get immunized

Public health nurses give vaccines to infants and young children at health units and community health centres. Some health-care providers also give vaccines.

In First Nations communities, children get immunized by their community health nurse at their community health centre or nursing station.

Visit our Find a Location directory to locate your local health facility

"This is one thing you don't want to overlook"

Cassandra, a public health nurse and mom in Kamloops, reminds parents to ensure their children's immunizations are up to date.

Watch more videos

Check out our playlist to hear from other health-care experts/mothers about why it's important to get your children vaccinated.

View our playlist

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It's natural to have questions

How do we know vaccines are safe?

Vaccines go through a rigorous assessment process before approval for public use and are closely monitored afterward. They are tested for safety by Health Canada and, after approval, are authorized for use in this country.

Any side effects following immunization are reported and assessed, and any concerning event is flagged and investigated. Common side effects include a few days of fever and localized tenderness at the injection site. Serious side effects include allergic reactions, like anaphylaxis, which are rare.

Is it safe for my child to get more than one vaccine at the same time?

Getting multiple vaccines at the same visit is safe and will not overwhelm your child’s immune system. The vaccines containing multiple antigens, like DTaP-HB-IPV-Hib, protect children against six different types of diseases and go through a comprehensive assessment and approval process before public use.

The recommendations for receiving multiple vaccines at the same time are provided by Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) and are based on an evaluation of the vaccines’ effectiveness and safety. Some vaccines work better when administered together and others work better when administered on their own.

Is it safe to repeat vaccines? I can’t find my immunization record.

Repeating vaccines is generally considered safe. In some cases, to increase effectiveness and minimize localized tenderness and/or fever, spacing is recommended between repeated vaccine doses.

Are the ingredients in vaccines safe?

Vaccines contain a small amount of other ingredients in addition to the main antigen, which stimulates our immune system to protect us from future infection. The additional components are either needed during the process of a vaccine’s development or after the vaccine’s production to make it more effective and to preserve its content.

They are regulated by Health Canada and are only included in vaccines in safe amounts. Individuals with an allergy to the vaccine components are recommended to get their vaccine with additional precautions.