National Immunization Awareness Week

National Immunization Awareness Week (NIAW) is April 22-30, 2024—the annual event that highlights and recognizes the importance of immunization. This year’s theme is "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. Our Resource Round-up: Childhood vaccination compiles a bunch of resources that can help you improve the childhood vaccination experience.

The resource page includes a series of resources on the CARD (comfort, ask, relax, distract) system, which provides strategies that can be used to help patients of all ages cope before and during vaccination. The Canadian Pharmacists Journal also featured the CARD system in its January/February 2023 issue supplement.

Immunization-related webinar recordings

Measles: What you need to know

With increased measles spread worldwide, pharmacy professionals are getting more questions at the pharmacy counter about symptoms, prevention and vaccination. CPhA developed a new fact sheet to help support pharmacy teams in those conversations with 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