National Kids and Vaccines Day 2023

Routine vaccinations are critical for protection against a wide range of vaccine-preventable diseases. The rise of misinformation about vaccine safety and effectiveness has caused a dangerous reduction in the rate of vaccinated children – and we’re not just talking about COVID. Kids are not being protected against many of the diseases we’ve been immunizing against for decades, including Measles, Polio, and Hepatitis B to name a few.

We recently hosted #KidsVaccinesDay, the second annual event where we brought together healthcare leaders and experts from across disciplines to help move the needle (pun intended) and promote vaccine confidence for children in Canada. 

This year’s focus was on:

• Routine vaccinations for children (2 months to 5 years): critical for protection against a wide range of vaccine-preventable diseases. Catching up on routine childhood immunization and ensuring that coverage doesn’t slip, or remain low, must be a top priority for children’s healthcare professionals and parents as we look to our future.
• Influenza and COVID-19 vaccines, an important safe and effective method to combat these viral infections, especially in light of the current crisis in children’s healthcare.

ScienceUpFirst, an initiative of CASC, and Children’s Healthcare Canada hosted a free national Kids and Vaccines Town Hall event to answer questions from kids, caregivers and educators about the importance and safety of routine vaccinations, as well as influenza and COVID-19 vaccines, as we continue to face a surge in infection caused by both.

Watch the recording             Panelist Bios

On February 23, we invited organizations to join Children's Healthcare Canada and ScienceUpFirst to promote the uptake of safe and effective vaccines for kids. Here were some ideas:

• Join our national bilingual online Town Hall, during which experts will respond to questions from Canadians. Register now!
• Share your #KidsVaccinesDay stories on social media; reshare others
• Submit your questions about vaccines and the importance of catching up to our experts, who will respond during the Town Hall. Please email them to SPARK@childrenshealthcarecanada.ca 
• Host an immunization clinic on or in association with #KidsVaccinesDay