Dr. Shelita Dattani
SVP of Pharmacy Affairs and Strategic Engagement, Neighbourhood Pharmacy Association of Canada
Dr. Gregory W. Taylor
Co-Chair, Adult Vaccine Alliance
Dr. Jia Hu
Co-Chair, Adult Vaccine Alliance
With persistent barriers hindering adult vaccine uptake, advocating for unified public funding is essential for equitable access and improved health outcomes.
The Current State of Adult Immunization in Canada
Canada stands at a crossroads regarding adult immunization – while the pandemic reminded society of the value of vaccines, ongoing challenges around hesitancy, funding, and access abound. Despite recommendations from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI), adult vaccine uptake remains low, worsened by a fractured health care system struggling to provide access. With over six million Canadians lacking regular access to a family doctor, a national poll by the MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, a world-class research centre, highlights a growing frustration and dissatisfaction within our health care landscape. This shortage in primary care leaves many Canadians navigating their health care journey independently, particularly concerning vaccines—one of the pillars of public health.
Amidst this challenge, the Adult Vaccine Alliance (AVA) has emerged to advocate for a unified approach: to ensure that all NACI-recommended vaccines are publicly funded and accessible.
The recent outbreaks of measles and meningitis B in Canada underscore the undeniable importance of vaccination. Despite this, vaccine uptake in adults is disappointingly low, which makes this a crucial moment to strengthen our health care system by enhancing vaccine accessibility and confidence.
Dr. Shelita Dattani, Ontario-based pharmacist.
“The recent outbreaks of measles and meningitis B in Canada underscore the undeniable importance of vaccination,” says Dr. Shelita Dattani, Ontario-based pharmacist. “Despite this, vaccine uptake in adults is disappointingly low, which makes this a crucial moment to strengthen our health care system by enhancing vaccine accessibility and confidence.
The Role of Pharmacists in Vaccine Delivery
The challenge of removing barriers to improve access to vaccines brings in the crucial role of the pharmacist and the local pharmacy as a key vaccination access channel. Historically, pharmacists have played a key role in health care delivery – which eclipsed during the pandemic, when pharmacies remained open to support Canadians with various health-related needs. They offer a readily accessible touchpoint for many Canadians, especially for the millions of people without a family doctor. Despite this, a patchwork of policies across provinces and territories limits their ability to fully leverage their expertise in vaccine delivery. This inconsistency not only hampers access but also undermines the potential to alleviate the pressure on primary care physicians.
“Enabling pharmacists to deliver more routine immunizations is an important step forward,” says Dr. Jia Hu, Co-Chair of the Adult Vaccine Alliance. “We need to leverage every avenue to ensure strong access to vaccines, especially given some of our challenges and outbreaks.”
For instance, the variation in vaccine access between provinces — a Quebec resident can receive the shingles vaccine at their local pharmacy without a prescription, whereas in Ontario, residents cannot — highlighting systemic challenges. Moreover, even when pharmacists can administer a broader spectrum of vaccines, for those vaccines that are not publicly covered, the cost falls on patients, further dividing who can get the vaccine.
Advocacy for Change: Simplifying the Vaccination Journey
By advocating for the public funding of all NACI-recommended vaccines and optimizing vaccine access and uptake across the country, AVA is not just appealing for better health outcomes by reducing vaccine preventable illness; it’s championing a more confident and educated public regarding vaccine efficacy and safety.
Enabling pharmacists to deliver more routine immunizations is an important step forward. We need to leverage every avenue to ensure strong access to vaccines, especially given some of our challenges and outbreaks.”
Dr. Jia Hu, Co-Chair of the Adult Vaccine Alliance.
Expanding and supporting the ability of pharmacy professionals to deliver a broad range of vaccinations is critical for public health. Simplifying the vaccine journey by enabling Canadians to receive more vaccines at their pharmacy and ensuring these vaccines are publicly funded would mark a significant leap towards a healthier population and a more resilient health care system.
Looking Ahead
National Immunization Awareness Week is a natural time to truly reflect and take action, recognizing vaccines as one of the best tools in our public health disease prevention toolbox[4]. By supporting the Adult Vaccine Alliance’s efforts and advocating for the expansion of the role of pharmacy professionals in vaccine administration and enabling pharmacy’s role as a vaccination hub, we can build a stronger, healthier Canada.
To learn more about Canada’s Adult Vaccine Alliance, visit adultvaccinealliance.ca.
References
[1] https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/82-003-x/2024001/article/00002-eng.htm
[2] https://maphealth.ca/projects/
[3] https://www.pharmacists.ca/cpha-ca/assets/File/cpha-on-the-issues/InjectionVaccinationScan_Feb2024_EN.pdf
[4] https://immunize.ca/learn-about-immunization
