Results:
In November 2004, a request for proposals was launched to study universal influenza immunization programs versus programs targeting populations at high risk of complications in Canada and/or in other countries with comparable demographics, health care system and influenza season patterns. This Request For Proposals (RFP) was developed by the Public Health Agency of Canada in collaboration with the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, Health Canada, provincial and territorial governments, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. National Vaccine Program Office.
In December 2004, one application was received and reviewed. The Public Health Agency of Canada is pleased to announce that the successful applicant was Dr. Douglas Manuel and colleagues from the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES). The $200,000 research project, entitled "Effect of Ontario's Universal Influenza Immunization Program (UIIP) on influenza-related health care outcomes", was awarded in March 2005 and will be completed in November 2007.
Dr. Manuel is a scientist at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences. He and his co-investigators from ICES, Dr. Therese Stukel, Dr. Ross Upshur and Dr. Jeff Kwong, along with Dr. Philippe De Wals (Laval University), Dr. Fawziah Marra and Dr. Danuta Skowronski (British Columbia Centre for Disease Control), Dr. Allison McGeer (Mt. Sinai Hospital), Dr. Leslie Roos (Manitoba Centre for Health Policy), and Dr. Larry Svenson (Alberta Health and Wellness) will be conducting an extensive literature review and a complex retrospective analysis of administrative health data to determine the impact on health outcomes in Ontario compared to four other Canadian provinces without universal influenza immunization programs.
For more information, please contact:
Anne Malo
Senior Policy Analyst, Immunization Research
Immunization and Respiratory Infections Division
Centre for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control
Public Health Agency of Canada
Tel: (613) 952-9156
Fax: (613) 946-0244
Email: anne_malo@phac-aspc.gc.ca