Vaccination Records

[candiizz 5]

I live in Ontario, can anyone give me some insight on howabouts they got their vaccination records?

I'm going to make an appointment with the family doctor to get their records, but i got some vaccinations while going to public school.. would the doctor have records of that as well or would i have to go somewhere else to get that?

[NikLR 13,227]

Try your local health unit/clinic

[CM11 5]

And if you have problems tracking down your records, you could always get a blood titer done.

[The Mean Lady 604]

As Niki said, you call your local health unit and request records to be pulled.

They just print out a quick piece of paper that I was able to pick up 2 days later and it listed every vaccination my husband has been given since birth.

I was able to use that to determine what was still needed from his physician to update his vaccines.

Then the physician gives you a cute little yellow card with check marks on it to show the most up to date ones.

Which happen to be EVERYTHING he needed since he hasn't had vaccines since high school (over 15 years ago)

[Autumnal 25]

The local health unit was the first place to start. Try your family doctor/physician as well if they're still in practice from the time you were young, or you had consistent doctor's records all the way through. Mine happened to have them going back to the age of 2, and the health unit supplied the rest for my school-age vaccinations as well.

[Buxi&Dusk 6]

I had all of my blood titre levels done - will they accept this? I have copies of the blood work from my doctor to submit.

[The Mean Lady 604]

I had all of my blood titre levels done - will they accept this? I have copies of the blood work from my doctor to submit.

If it shows you've had your required vaccinations done, then yes.

Edited June 25, 2013 by KDH

[Exocet 88]

Well, I have had a heck of a time finding my immunization records. I was born in Ontario and lived there until I was 29, and then moved to Alberta. I called the clinic where I got all my immunizations done as a baby, and they told me that they only keep records for 10 years and that there was nowhere I would be able to get my records. I asked them where the local public health unit was, and they told me that they don't exist in Ontario (which is apparently a big lie). Anyway, so I went to a public health clinic here in Alberta and got my TDAP and MMR immunizations, since it's probably not a bad idea to have them up to date anyway. While I was getting my immunizations, I asked the nurse about the public health units, and she said they were in every province. Soooo... I just looked up the Durham Region Public Health unit, talked to a nurse, and she had a complete record of my immunizations and is now mailing them to me. She said that usually the records are erased sometime around the 10 year mark after completing high school, but I was lucky that mine were still there.

You can find your local public health unit on this website: http://www.alphaweb.org/?page=PHU

Moral of the story: I should have done more research before getting poked, because my arm really hurts and I feel like a nuclear reactor (I'm so hot on the inside it's not funny!).

Good luck!

Ahhh yes.. I should also add that the nurse told me that the titers blood test isn't always reliable, as it sometimes will not show a full immunity to certain viruses. So best course of action is to track down the immunization records, and only use the titers as a last resort. If you can't get a hold of the records, the best and cheapest course of action is getting the immunizations, since most of them are covered under provincial health care. A few of them (such as the hep A and hep B) need to be done at a travel clinic, and you may have to pay for those. From what my doctor and nurse told me, the titers test isn't always covered by provincial health care and can be expensive.

Edited June 25, 2013 by Exocet

[The Mean Lady 604]

Well, I have had a heck of a time finding my immunization records. I was born in Ontario and lived there until I was 29, and then moved to Alberta. I called the clinic where I got all my immunizations done as a baby, and they told me that they only keep records for 10 years and that there was nowhere I would be able to get my records. I asked them where the local public health unit was, and they told me that they don't exist in Ontario (which is apparently a big lie). Anyway, so I went to a public health clinic here in Alberta and got my TDAP and MMR immunizations, since it's probably not a bad idea to have them up to date anyway. While I was getting my immunizations, I asked the nurse about the public health units, and she said they were in every province. Soooo... I just looked up the Durham Region Public Health unit, talked to a nurse, and she had a complete record of my immunizations and is now mailing them to me. She said that usually the records are erased sometime around the 10 year mark after completing high school, but I was lucky that mine were still there.

You can find your local public health unit on this website: http://www.alphaweb.org/?page=PHU

Moral of the story: I should have done more research before getting poked, because my arm really hurts and I feel like a nuclear reactor (I'm so hot on the inside it's not funny!).

Good luck!

Ahhh yes.. I should also add that the nurse told me that the titers blood test isn't always reliable, as it sometimes will not show a full immunity to certain viruses. So best course of action is to track down the immunization records, and only use the titers as a last resort. If you can't get a hold of the records, the best and cheapest course of action is getting the immunizations, since most of them are covered under provincial health care. A few of them (such as the hep A and hep B) need to be done at a travel clinic, and you may have to pay for those. From what my doctor and nurse told me, the titers test isn't always covered by provincial health care and can be expensive.

Wow... someone in your hometown is not very smart.

Obviously not true since my hubby is 32 and I have his records since birth

Honestly, the shots are all safe to get as long as you haven't had them in the past month or so, so really no reason to go through the titres when your shots are free (except varicella if you were born before i believe 1990 i think)

Also, if you're past the age of 27 and you don't remember having shots, then you probably need them anyways.

They usually aren't given past age 17.

MMR wears off by then and TD booster is required after 10 years.

[NikLR 13,227]

I called my hometown health unit in Vernon, BC and they did not have my records anymore. But I had to get the dTap and the MMR again anyhow. I would have spaced them out a bit if I were you. dTap makes your arm sore for like a week and MMR hurts like a mofo.

[The Mean Lady 604]

Real men do them both at once.

[NikLR 13,227]

a) not a man

b) didn't know I needed MMR when I got the dTap

[Marilyn. 340]

personally I would rather get a simple blood test then get the shots again. For me the blood titer test was free..

[The Mean Lady 604]

b) didn't know I needed MMR when I got the dTap

Then you're a real man.

[Stubby and Rio 4]

I went to my doctor yesterday to get my vaccination record; my doctor took over the practice of the physician that delivered me so all my shots and booster records were there from my early years. He gave me a vaccination for polio yesterday and is sending me for the Titer test...I called my local public health unit and given my age; they no longer have my records. I am not sure what else to do to support my vaccinations etc....at the medical examination will the panel physician recommend or give the vaccinations required ?