4 Korners summarizes the most important information about the program: eligibility for free vaccination, vaccine safety, where to get vaccinated and procedure to get the vaccine.
From the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux
The Flu Vaccination Program aims to reduce mortality and serious complications from the flu by offering people most at risk and those around them the possibility of being vaccinated free of charge.
As part of the program, a vaccination campaign is conducted annually. The flu vaccination campaign begins on November 1, 2017.
Eligibility for free vaccination
The injectable vaccine is available free to the following people:
• Children from 6 to 23 months old;
• People with certain chronic diseases;
• Pregnant women with certain chronic diseases, throughout their pregnancy;
• Pregnant women in good health, in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters of their pregnancy;
• Individuals aged 60 and over.
In order to minimize the risk of contamination, the vaccine is also available free to other people:
- Close relations of people listed above, including their caretakers
- Close contacts of children less than 6 months old
- Healthcare workers
There is also an intranasal vaccine. You may consult who is eligible to receive this vaccine at no cost by clicking this link.
Vaccine Safety:
The flu vaccine is safe. It cannot transmit flu or other illnesses. In fact, the viruses or a part of the viruses that it contains are killed or too weak to reproduce and cause the flu.
In Canada and at the World Health Organization (WHO), there are several vaccination surveillance programs. These programs ensure, among other things, the quality of vaccines offered. Among these is the Québec surveillance program, ‘Effets secondaires possiblement reliés à l’immunisation’ (ESPRI). This program was established in 1990 by the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux.
Where to get vaccinated:
To locate a flu vaccination clinic near you, visit the website of the CISSS des Laurentides at: www.santelaurentides.gouv.qc.ca or click one of the following links. Please take note: some vaccination clinics require an appointment (AVEC RENDEZ-VOUS), other not (sans rendez-vous). If you wish to take an appointment, you may do so on the FREE appointment-taking service Clic Santé.
- Secteur Antoine-Labelle
- Secteur Argenteuil
- Secteur Lac-des-Deux-Montagnes
- Secteur Pays-d’en-Haut
- Secteur Rivière-du-Nord (Saint-Jérôme)
- Secteur des Sommets
- Secteur Thérèse-De Blainville