Canadian National Vaccine Safety Network (CANVAS)

The Canadian Vaccine Safety Network (CANVAS) assesses vaccine safety immediately after implementation of vaccine campaigns. The network is comprised of sites in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa, Quebec City, Sherbrooke, and Halifax.

CANVAS initiated its ninth annual influenza vaccine safety surveillance campaign, with more than 40,000 participants providing safety data. CANVAS submitted weekly safety reports to the Public Health Agency of Canada from October to December, 2017. Safety information on the following seven influenza vaccines were captured: Flumist, Fluviral, Vaxigrip, Agriflu, Fluzone, Influvac and Fluad.  No unexpected side effects were observed in adults or children following the 2017 influenza vaccine campaign, although a slightly higher rate of events was reported among 2017 vaccinees.

In addition to the monitoring seasonal influenza vaccine safety, CANVAS will continue to monitor vaccine safety for other and new vaccines, and provide a platform for vaccine acceptability studies.

 Co-Investigators:

• Brenda Coleman, Mount Sinai Hospital
• Gaston De Serres, Université Laval
• Jennifer Isenor, Dalhousie University
• Jim Kellner, University of Calgary
• Anne McCarthy, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
• Shelly McNeil, Dalhousie University
• Karina Top, Dalhousie University
• Louis Valiquette, Université Sherbrooke
• Otto Vanderkooi, University of Calgary