National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI)
Recommended Immunization Schedule for Infants, Children and Youth
March 16, 2005

Age at vaccination	DTaP -IPV	Hib	MMR	Var	Hep B	Pneu-C	Men-C	dTap	Flu
Birth					Infancy 3 doses or Pre-teen/ teen 2-3 doses if not yet given
2 months
4 months
6 months							or		6-23 months 1-2 doses
12 months						12-15 months	if not yet given
18 months			or
4-6 years
14-16 years							if not yet given

	DTaP-IPV	Diphtheria, Tetanus, acellular Pertussis, and inactivated Polio virus vaccine
	Hib	Haemophilus influenzae type b conjugate vaccine
	MMR	Measles, Mumps and Rubella vaccine
	Var	Varicella vaccine
	Hep B	Hepatitis B vaccine
	Pneu-C	Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine
	Men-C	Meningococcal C conjugate vaccine
	dTap	Diphtheria, Tetanus, acellular Pertussis vaccine (adult formulation)
	Flu	Influenza Vaccine

Notes:

Diphtheria, Tetanus, acellular Pertussis and inactivated Polio virus vaccine (DTaP-IPV): DTaP-IPV vaccine is the preferred vaccine for all doses in the vaccination series, including completion of the series in children who have received ≥ 1 dose of DPT (whole cell) vaccine (e.g., recent immigrants).

Haemophilus influenzae type b conjugate vaccine (Hib): Hib schedule shown is for the haemophilus b capsular polysaccharide – PRP conjugated to tetatus toxoid (Act-HIB^TM) or the Haemophilus b oligosaccharide conjugate - HbOC (HibTITER^TM) vaccines.

Measles, Mumps and Rubella vaccine (MMR): A second dose of MMR is recommended, at least 1 month after the first dose for the purpose of better measles protection. For convenience, options include giving it with the next scheduled vaccination at 18 months of age or at school entry (4-6 years) (depending on the provincial/territorial policy), or at any intervening age that is practical. The need for a second dose of mumps and rubella vaccine is not established but may benefit (given for convenience as MMR). The second dose of MMR should be given at the same visit as DTaP-IPV (± Hib) to ensure high uptake rates.

Varicella vaccine (Var): Children aged 12 months to 12 years should receive one dose of varicella vaccine. Individuals ≥ 13 years of age should receive two doses at least 28 days apart.

Hepatitis B vaccine (Hep B): Hepatitis B vaccine can be routinely given to infants or preadolescents, depending on the provincial/territorial policy. For infants born to chronic carrier mothers, the first dose should be given at birth (with hepatitis B immunoglobulin), otherwise the first dose can be given at 2 months of age to fit more conveniently with other routine infant immunization visits. The second dose should be administered at least 1 month after the first dose, and the third at least 2 months after the second dose, but again may fit more conveniently into the 4 and 6 month immunization visits. A two-dose schedule for adolescents is an option (see chapter on hepatitis B vaccine).

Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine - 7-valent (Pneu-C): Recommended schedule, number of doses and subsequent use of 23 valent polysaccharide pneumococcal vaccine depend on the age of the child when vaccination is begun (see chapter on pneumococcal vaccines).

Meningococcal C conjugate vaccine (Men-C): Recommended schedule and number of doses of meningococcal vaccine depends on the age of the child (see chapter on meningococcal vaccines). If the provincial/territorial policy is to give Men-C after 12 months of age, 1 dose is sufficient.

Diphtheria, Tetanus, acellular Pertussis vaccine - adult/adolescent formulation (dTap): a combined adsorbed "adult type" preparation for use in people ≥ 7 years of age, contains less diphtheria toxoid and pertussis antigens than preparations given to younger children and is less likely to cause reactions in older people.

Influenza vaccine (Flu): Previously unvaccinated children in the 6-23 month age group require 2 doses with an interval of at least 4 weeks. The second dose is not required if the child has received one or more doses of influenza vaccine during the previous immunization season (see chapter on influenza vaccine).