The Problem:

Immunization is one of the greatest discoveries in public health. Unfortunately, we are seeing a global reemergence of vaccine preventable diseases. At the same time, countries are facing challenges in creating immunization information systems that can effectively and accurately track vaccinations. The migration of people across regional and national borders and the increasingly fragmented nature of immunization practice—with individuals receiving information from multiple different providers—are two of the major obstacles to having comprehensive immunization status.

The Answer:

We believe the solution to these challenges is to place the individual at the centre of the system. The digital health revolution now makes this possible. By empowering people to digitally record and track their immunizations, their record travels with them and will be an accurate source of all immunizations received. By then connecting these individuals to hospital and government immunization systems, we can create a system that better protects everyone.

Digital technology can also help overcome concerns about vaccines by empowering people with information. Individuals can have the opportunity to see their immunization information in context, get accurate information on vaccinations, receive reminders about immunizations and alerts about vaccine preventable diseases. An informed public is more likely to be immunized on time.

Our Vision:

To transform immunization practice using digital technology by placing people at the centre. Instead of using paper records to track your vaccinations that can be lost or forgotten, what if you could track them on your phone? A mother posed this question to Dr. Kumanan Wilson, a physician at the Ottawa Hospital, in a park one day in 2011.

This sparked an idea for Dr. Wilson, who, along with engineering student Cameron Bell, made it a reality. A prototype for Ontario launched the following year. After a successful release, our team considered the prospect of creating an app that would help people across Canada stay up-to-date with their vaccinations. Led by Dr. Wilson and funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada, our team developed CANImmunize, a digital platform that connects Canadians to their own vaccination records.

A first-of-its-kind national digital immunization platform, available on iOS and Android devices and on the web, the platform permits individuals to track their own and their family’s immunizations.

CANImmunize also provides vaccination reminders, accurate information on vaccines, vaccine preventable disease outbreak, including outbreak locations, and stores individuals’ data to permit access across multiple platforms. We even include the digital comic Immunity Warriors: Invasion of the Alien Zombies! to teach kids about the importance of immunization.

CANImmunize can also enable reporting of immunization status to public health. We are currently working with governments to permit integration with their immunization information systems. This functionality will allow CANImmunize users to pull data that resides on immunization information systems and push data on new vaccinations to the information systems.

CANImmunize Accomplishments

• CANImmunize was identified as a top ten accomplishment of Canada’s federal health minister in 2014.
• In 2015, awarded the Connected with the Community Award from the Canadian Wireless Telecommunication Association.
• The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control identified CANImmunize as a model for consumer-facing immunization solutions.
• The Health Standards Organization accredited CANImmunize as a leading practice.
• Recognized by the World Health Organization’s Vaccine SafetyNet as a trusted resource.
• Finalist in the 2019 Digital Transformation Awards.