Public Funding for Influenza Vaccination

Pregnant women in their 3rd trimester, expecting to deliver in influenza season

Pregnant women, any trimester

Children 6 months to 23 months

Persons 18 years and older

Persons 50-64 years

Persons 60 years and older

Persons 65 years and older

Universal vaccination

Residents of nursing homes or chronic care facilities

Health care workers

Children and adolescents on long-term ASA

Persons on long-term ASA (e.g. RA patients)

Household contacts of people at high-risk

Persons with weakened immune systems

Essential community services: first responders

Persons at risk travelling to destinations where influenza is likely circulating

Persons in direct contact with poultry infected with avian influenza during culling operations

▪ Cardiac disease

▪ Pulmonary disease

▪ Asthma

▪ Diabetes

▪ Renal disease

▪ Liver disease

▪ Anaemia or hemoglobinopathy

▪ HIV patients

▪ Immunosuppression, cancer

Original Source: Canadian Pharmacists Association, 2005

¹ Police, firefighters, ambulance personnel, and correctional officers
² Paramedics and emergency medical technicians, firemen and policemen are not covered
³ Vaccine is free of charge to anyone who requests it
⁴ Vaccine is available free of charge to those individuals aged 6 months or older who live, work or attend school in Ontario
⁵ Vaccine is free of charge to all residents of the island; however, administration of the vaccine is not covered except for those noted above

The following priority groups are recommended for annual influenza vaccination programs by the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI): people at high risk for influenza-related complications, those capable of transmitting influenza to individuals at high risk for complications, and those who provide essential community services. As significant morbidity and societal costs are associated with seasonal interpandemic influenza illness and its complications occurring in healthy children age ≥ 2 years and healthy adults, healthy children age ≥ 2 years and adults should also be encouraged to receive the annual influenza vaccine. For the full NACI recommendations for influenza immunization go to: http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/publicat/ccdr-rmtc/05vol31/asc-dcc-6/index.html

This table has been extracted from the 2005 report, Influenza Immunization Guide for Pharmacists: http://www.pharmacists.ca/content/hcp/resource_centre/practice_resources/influenza_immunization.cfm