Immunization

At the beginning of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign, results from clinical studies showed that two doses of vaccine provided excellent protection against disease and hospitalization due to COVID-19. However, the large epidemic wave caused by the arrival of the Omicron variant in late 2021 led to a broad recommendation to administer a booster dose to all adults. This outbreak highlighted the reduced performance of the vaccines in preventing symptomatic COVID-19, while demonstrating that…

The Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux (MSSS) recently asked the CIQ to issue an opinion on the target interval before administration of the second dose, and important considerations to be taken into account for decision-making. The purpose of this opinion is to answer this question through an analysis of the most recent data on COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness from Quebec and abroad.

Recently, various strategies have been recommended in a number of jurisdictions regarding the time interval between the two doses of COVID-19 vaccines. The Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux (MSSS) has asked the Comité sur l'immunisation du Québec (CIQ) to explain the basis of these different intervals. The MSSS also inquired whether the CIQ has maintained the recommendations that it put forward in a recent scientific notice, in particular, the recommendation to offer an initial…

The number of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths due to COVID-19 have been increasing in Quebec since August 2020. In addition to the suffering of those infected and their friends and family, caring for patients and their contacts creates a significant burden for healthcare workers, who are frequently infected, threatening the integrity of our healthcare system. The way the pandemic develops in the coming months will depend on the population’s compliance with the recommendations to…

The last report issued by the Comité sur l’immunisation du Québec (CIQ) concerning the Programme d’immunisation contre l’influenza du Québec (PIIQ) [Québec’s Influenza Immunization program] was published in 2007. An update became necessary, given the many scientific advances that have occurred in this field.

The primary objective of the PIIQ must be to reduce influenza-associated hospitalizations and deaths.

To attain this objective, the CIQ recommends maintaining a…

A lot of new data on the immunogenicity, efficacy and effectiveness of fewer than three doses of HPV vaccine have become available since the publication of the CIQ report on the 2012 knowledge update. The two-dose schedule has become a standard that is widely accepted around the world. Such schedules are currently in use in more than half (48/82) of the countries offering HPV vaccination programs. The same schedule has been approved and recommended by the World Health Organization (W HO) and…

The childhood immunization program was implemented in Québec to reduce the burden of pneumococcal disease, with the primary objective of lowering the incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD). The program began in 2002, targeting children with a high risk of IPD, and in 2004 it became a universal program for all children under age five. A schedule of four doses (3+1) is recommended for high-risk children and three (2+1) for other children. 

The initial 7-…

To control the spread of the meningococcal serogroup B disease in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region which has had a higher incidence rate compared with the rest of the province since 2004, a vaccination campaign was undertaken and targeted individuals 20 years and younger residing in or attending an educational institution in this region. An enhanced surveillance system was implemented to monitor the onset of adverse events following immunization (AEFI) in real time in order to be…

In 2007, the Comité sur l’immunisation du Québec (CIQ) recommended an extended schedule exclusively for immunization against the human papilloma virus (HPV) starting in grade 4 (0, 6, 60 months); the committee also stated that the third dose should be administered “if judged necessary.” Since the introduction of the Québec HPV immunization program in 2008, similar programs (two doses administered six months apart and a possible third dose if necessary) have been introduced in Mexico and…

The human papillomavirus (HPV) belongs to the Papillomaviridae family, which includes at least 100 genotypes affecting the skin and mucous membranes. Of these, about 40 affect the anogenital area in particular, and approximately 15 are oncogenic. Genotypes 16 and 18 are responsible for 70-76% of cervical cancer cases worldwide. Genotypes 6 and 11 are non-oncogenic but are responsible for most cases of condyloma (anogenital warts [AGW]).

HPV prevalence and incidence…