What is the childhood vaccine schedule in Canada?

What the evidence says

Canada does not have one single vaccine schedule. Instead, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization sets national recommendations, and each province or territory builds its own schedule based on that advice. This means the exact ages your child gets each shot can be a little different depending on where you live, but the overall pattern is very similar across the country.

Most babies start vaccines at 2 months old. The main baby vaccine is called the 5-in-1 or 6-in-1 shot. It protects against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough (pertussis), polio, and a bacteria called Hib, plus hepatitis B if it's the 6-in-1 version. In Canada, most children get this vaccine at 2, 4, 6, and 18 months of age. Babies also get a rotavirus vaccine by mouth, usually starting around 2 months, with all doses finished before 8 months old, and a pneumococcal vaccine, usually with two or three shots between 2 and 12 months plus a booster around 12 to 15 months.

Around 12 months, children get a meningococcal C vaccine, and often their first shots for measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) and for chickenpox (varicella). The second MMR and second chickenpox shot are usually given either at 18 months or between 4 and 6 years old, depending on the province. At 4 to 6 years old, kids also get a booster of the 4-in-1 vaccine (diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, and polio) before starting school.

In the pre-teen years, usually around grade 6 or age 9 to 14, kids get the HPV vaccine, which protects against human papillomavirus infections that can cause certain cancers and genital warts. Current national guidance now recommends just one dose for most kids this age. Around age 12, teens also get another meningococcal booster and a tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis (Tdap) booster.

Because the schedule can shift a bit by province, the best way to know exactly when your child needs each vaccine is to check your province or territory's public health website, or ask your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist. Keep your child's vaccine record up to date, since it's the easiest way to make sure nothing gets missed, especially if you move between provinces.