National Immunization Awareness Week takes place April 21-30, and it has inspired us to reflect on the importance of vaccines in protecting our health and the health of those we love. We know that many deadly diseases are preventable through vaccination. In Canada alone, immunizations have saved more lives than any other health intervention. Canadian researchers even helped create the polio vaccine, which reduced global polio cases from 300,000 in 1988 to just 73 in 2024.
With measles infections recently climbing in both Canada and the United States, it is important to remember that everyone should stay up to date on all recommended vaccinations, not only to protect ourselves, but our families and communities. We are so fortunate that in Canada, we have access to these lifesaving vaccinations.
There are currently nineteen diseases that can be prevented with routine vaccinations in Canada. One of these is the influenza vaccine (the “flu shot”). Influenza, unlike some other viruses, is highly changeable, which is why we need to get a flu shot annually, because getting a flu shot last year does not mean you are protected from this year’s strain.
But who determines which strain of the flu will be targeted each year? The World Health Organization (WHO), that’s who! The WHO’s Global Influenza Programme provides member states with recommendations for influenza vaccine composition six to nine months before flu season. There are many factors that go into deciding the composition of influenza vaccines, including world-wide vaccine effectiveness (VE) studies.
Here in Canada, a new way to study VE was first pioneered at the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) by Dr Danuta Skowronski. The test-negative design (TND) is a form of case-control study that monitors flu-vaccine protection real-time, and was developed and piloted here in BC. It was introduced in 2004, and is now used every year by Dr. Skowronski in a collaboration between BC, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec called the Sentinel Practitioner Surveillance Network (SPSN). The TND has also become the main way of evaluating VE against influenza and COVID-19 in the USA, Europe, and globally.
Why is Vaccine Effectiveness (VE) Research Important?
At the height of the pandemic, when new vaccine technologies were being used for the first time in the human population, the ability to monitor the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in the real world and in real time was critical.
Also, differences in vaccine policies and programs (e.g. target populations, intervals between doses, number of booster doses, type of vaccine and whether they could be used in mixed schedules) and variations in the timing and intensity of pandemic waves by region, meant that ongoing VE monitoring was required by each province. Current VE monitoring informs real-time changes to vaccine programs and supports evidence-based decision-making that builds credibility, and helps to address the concerns of those who are hesitant about vaccines. Ultimately, it makes sure that the vaccines used in BC are effective and that the public has the information they need to understand and feel confident about their options. Health Link BC is informed by the VE monitoring done at the BCCDC, and is a great resource for information. Families can find information about vaccination schedules, vaccinations for travel, vaccine safety, and more.
Because annual immunization programs against highly changeable respiratory viruses are a significant cost to the healthcare system, we need to make sure the updated vaccines administered every year offer substantial benefit and work on ways to improve upon that. VE monitoring improves vaccine strain selection and immunization programs, and addresses misinformation, while building the public trust.
Our Commitment to Funding Vaccine Effectiveness Research
As the only charitable foundation in BC actively fundraising for public health initiatives, we know the importance of vaccinations, and the need to continually monitor them, not only to maintain the public trust, but to ensure that we are all armed with the evidence-based information needed to make informed choices about our health.
With Dr Skowronski at the helm, a global leader in the field of influenza and vaccine effectiveness that we are so fortunate to have as a partner, we have funded research that helps inform influenza, COVID-19 and/or RSV immunization programs in BC.
This continued research and monitoring has resulted in many significant milestones, including COVID-19 vaccine dosing and duration recommendations, and seasonal influenza vaccine effectiveness research conducted each year that is submitted to the WHO by Dr. Skowronski’s SPSN team, alongside about 25 other countries as part of the Global Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness (GIVE) network, to inform vaccine strain selection for the coming 2025-2026 season.
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The work of developing vaccines and ensuring they are effective is very important to the health and well-being of all communities in BC, throughout Canada, and around the world. If you would like to help contribute to the success of this program and others like it, please make a donation to help improve population health in our province, and beyond.
