National Immunization Awareness Week

National Immunization Awareness Week (NIAW) is April 21-30, 2025—the annual event that highlights and recognizes the importance of immunization. This year’s theme is "Don’t let history repeat itself. Protect your future. Get immunized." and highlights the importance of staying up to date on recommended vaccinations so that everyone can have the chance to live healthier lives protected against preventable diseases.

Pharmacists are highly trusted and accessible health-care providers who have a critical role to play in raising public awareness about the importance of immunization and reaching patients in their communities.

Here’s a collection of some of the immunization-related resources we have available:

Pharmacists' vaccination authority across Canada

From COVID-19 vaccines and flu shots to routine immunizations and travel vaccines, pharmacists are authorized to administer a broad range of vaccines. Here’s an overview of the vaccines and injections pharmacists are authorized to administer across Canada.

Improving the childhood vaccination experience

Whether you’re administering vaccines in your pharmacy or helping parents and kids understand the benefits of immunization, there’s lots of information to wade through.

Resource Round-up: Our Resource Round-up: Childhood vaccination compiles a bunch of resources that can help you improve the childhood vaccination experience.
CARD: The CARD (comfort, ask, relax, distract) system provides strategies that can be used to help patients of all ages cope before and during vaccination. The Canadian Pharmacists Journal featured the CARD system in its January/February 2023 issue supplement.
CPS Full Access: Available with a CPS Full Access subscription, our chapter on Routine Childhood Vaccinations provides information on essential vaccines and offers strategies for reducing pain during vaccinations. The chapter also includes a valuable infographic, “Childhood Vaccinations – Frequently Asked Questions by Canadian Parents and Caregivers,” specifically crafted to help address vaccine hesitancy among parents and caregivers.

Measles: What you need to know

With measles infections increasing across Canada, pharmacy professionals are getting more questions at the pharmacy counter about symptoms, prevention and vaccination. Refresh your measles knowledge with CPhA’s fact sheet, Measles: What you need to know, designed to help support your conversations with your patients.

Pharmacist Q&As

As part of our Pharmacy Check-in Series, CPhA caught up with a few Canadian pharmacists to hear about their practices and the important role pharmacists play in vaccinating their communities.

Jaelee Guenther