News Release

March 20, 2014
For immediate release

Government of Canada launches innovative mobile vaccine application

Tool will help Canadians manage their families’ vaccinations and stay informed

Fact Sheet: Free Mobile App Helps Canadians Keep Track of Their Vaccinations

The Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of
Health, and Dr. Gregory Taylor, Deputy Chief
Public Health Officer, demonstrated the
ImmunizeCA mobile application to raise
awareness for National Immunization
Awareness Week. The mobile application
helps Canadianstrack their vaccinations
and keep them up-to-date.

Ottawa, ON - The Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Health, the Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA), Immunize Canada and the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute today launched an innovative mobile vaccine application (app) that is available free at the iTunes app store and Google Play.

ImmunizeCA will help parents store and manage their families’ vaccination records, easily access their provincial or territorial vaccination schedule as well as find timely and accurate information on the benefits of vaccination. The mobile app also provides local outbreak alert notifications, vaccination resources, as well as schedules and tools regarding children, adults and travellers.

It was developed collaboratively -- with funding from the Public Health Agency of Canada -- by CPHA, Immunize Canada and the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute.

Quick Facts

• The new ImmunizeCA mobile application is designed to empower Canadians with a useful tool to help keep their families healthy.
• The app allows Canadians to keep track of their immunizations and to access other credible information about vaccinations right at their fingertips.
• In addition to reliable and up-to-date, expert-approved, bilingual health information, the app offers appointment reminders, and other information specific to people’s home province or territory.
• The ImmunizeCA app is a secure, free download and is compatible with all devices running iOS and Android operating systems.
• Through this initiative, the Government of Canada is investing in innovative technology that helps Canadian families make informed health decisions.
• CPHA, the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, and Immunize Canada worked with public health experts and professional health associations throughout Canada to ensure the app is truly Canadian in scope and provides credible and reliable information from every jurisdiction.

Quotes

“Our Government is committed to investing in innovative technology. This mobile app can help Canadians make the best decisions about their families’ health. Canadians can keep track of their immunizations electronically and quickly access information from trusted sources. We are proud to work with the Canadian Public Health Association, Immunize Canada and the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and their partners, to help Canadians improve their health outcomes.”

Rona Ambrose,
Minister of Health

“A hundred years ago, infectious diseases were the leading cause of deaths worldwide. Since the introduction of publicly-funded immunization programs, they now cause less than five per cent of all deaths in Canada. But recent outbreaks of influenza and measles across Canada show us that infectious diseases can still be a threat if your vaccinations aren’t up to date. It is imperative that we all maintain our vaccinations, from infancy to your senior years, and the ImmunizeCA app helps us, right at our fingertips.”

Ian Culbert, Executive Director
Canadian Public Health Association

“We’re really excited to release the ImmunizeCA app – designed specifically for Canadians. We think we’ve created an attractive, user-friendly way for people to manage their own health information, while providing simple but scientifically sound answers to many vaccine questions. We hope Canadians find it to be a valuable tool for navigating this important aspect of their health.”

Dr. Kumanan Wilson, Senior Scientist/Professor of Medicine
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute/University of Ottawa

Associated Links

For more information about ImmunizeCA, visit the Immunize Canada - ImmunizeCA App.

Contacts

Michael Bolkenius
Office of the Honourable Rona Ambrose
Federal Minister of Health
(613) 957-0200

Media Relations
Public Health Agency of Canada
(613) 957-2983