Analyzing and strengthening the vaccine safety program in Manitoba

Vaccine vigilance in Canada: Is it as robust as it could be?

Canada has been known to have one of the better vaccine safety surveillance capacities in the world, but in the early 2000s, it was noted there was still room for improvement. How has Canada done over the last decade and is there more to be done? Canada has done well. First, there has been significant progress made by the Vaccine Vigilance Working Group to enhance the passive vaccine safety monitoring system and address potential issues arising from the review of surveillance data and cases or clusters of concern. Second, there has been an increased investigative capacity for clusters of adverse events and other vaccine safety issues, including an assessment and referral system for individuals with adverse events following immunizations (AEFIs). Third, the use of the Brighton Collaboration definitions and other international standards has facilitated international collaboration and represents the best standard of practice. Despite all these improvements, however, there is more that could be done. The sensitivity of Canada's passive surveillance system still varies from one province and territory to another. The timeliness of the data exchange flow could improve. The AEFI Signal Response Protocol, which identifies the processes and required actions for timely management of any newly detected or emerging vaccine safety signals, is a critical piece of a robust vaccine safety system but it is still in the making. It is commendable that Canada has decided to expand its focus on evaluation research from influenza vaccines to vaccine-preventable diseases more broadly, with the establishment of the Canadian Immunization Research Network (CIRN). CIRN's newly developed Provincial Collaborative Network and the move toward record linkages is excellent. These new investments are welcome in light of the rich vaccine development pipeline, the increased pool of available vaccines, and the growing set of technologies for vaccines production, delivery, and safety monitoring. What would round this all out would be a stronger capacity to monitor the implementation of vaccination programs and vaccine coverage, and better documentation of the reduction of the disease burden attributable to vaccination programs. Canada's investment in vaccines for the health of all deserves no less.

Canada's Vaccine Vigilance Working Group

The Vaccine Vigilance Working Group (VVWG) was created in 2004 as part of the National Immunization Strategy to strengthen vaccine safety in Canada. The Group has representation from all federal/provincial/territorial immunization programs across the country, as well as Health Canada regulators and the Immunization Monitoring Program ACTive (IMPACT) network. VVWG works to harmonize vaccine safety monitoring and adverse event reporting and management across Canada by developing and following national guidelines and seeking out best pharmacovigilance practices, including training. It also provides a national vaccine safety sentinel network that uses several mechanisms to rapidly share information on emerging safety issues to enable effective public health response. The "vigilance" in VVWG emphasizes the watchful, ever alert nature and activities of the Group's work. Increased public and health professional awareness of the VVWG's role and activities should help to allay concerns about vaccine safety that lead to vaccine hesitancy and in turn limit the effectiveness of immunization.