Immunization for infants and young children

Immunizations are your child's best protection now and in the future. Childhood vaccines work quickly to protect against very infectious diseases. When you immunize your child, you protect them against meningitis, pneumonia, paralysis, deafness, seizures, brain damage, cancer or even death.

The B.C. Immunization Schedule can help you determine when your baby, toddler, preschooler or young child needs to be immunized. If your child has not had all recommended vaccines, we highly recommend that you get your child immunized.

All children, starting at age four, should get two vaccines to protect against tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), polio, measles, mumps, rubella, and chicken pox. They should get these shots before they begin kindergarten.

If your child doesn't get all the recommended vaccines

If someone at school has a vaccine-preventable infectious disease, unprotected children may be asked to stay home until it is safe to return. They may miss days or even weeks of school and school activities. 

Vancouver Coastal Health works with health-care providers to help support immunization for infants and young children. Learn where to get immunizations for infants and young children if you live in the Vancouver Coastal Health region. First Nations children can also receive vaccines in their communities. 

• Primary health care provider (i.e. family doctor)
• VCH Immunization Clinics 

VCH is currently engaged in an immunization coverage survey to determine the immunization rates of two-year old children in our region. 

Parents and guardians of children born in 2020 and currently living in the VCH region, whose names were drawn at random, have been invited to participate by letter. Participation in this brief, 10-minute survey is voluntary.

If you are a parent or guardian who received a letter, we appreciate your help. The survey will not only allow us to determine up-to-date immunization rates for this age group, but as your child was born during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, it will also help us understand if there were any impacts from the pandemic on routine childhood immunizations. This information can help us design public health programs and services to ensure that all young children from our communities are provided with the best access to immunization services.  

For more information about the survey, please see our Frequently Asked Questions.