Health Care Providers and Designated Yellow Fever Vaccination Centres
Frequently asked questions
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The requirements to maintain Yellow Fever Vaccination Centre designation should be made available to all staff who may be involved in the administration of the yellow fever vaccine.
For Travellers
For Health Care Sites
What is a Yellow Fever Vaccination Centre?
A Yellow Fever Vaccination Centre is a health care site:
- where the Canadian public can receive the yellow fever vaccine;
- that provides the public with the required International Health Regulations documentation to be presented at a country border, if vaccination against yellow fever is a country entry requirement;
- that ensures the quality and safety of the procedures and materials employed.
Why are health care sites designated as Yellow Fever Vaccination Centres?
- Countries that sign onto the International Health Regulations must designate specific yellow fever vaccination centres to “ensure the quality and safety of the procedures and materials employed”.
- These regulations were developed to help the international community prevent and respond to certain public health risks that have the potential to cross borders.
- The Public Health Agency of Canada is responsible for designating these centres on behalf of Canada, provided the Centres meet certain requirements.
- Successful compliance with the International Health Regulations, as it relates to yellow fever, cannot be achieved without the collaboration of all jurisdictions and the health care providers who apply these requirements.
What are the requirements to become a designated Yellow Fever Vaccination Centre?
Please refer to Procedures for Yellow Fever Vaccination Centre in Canada for a detailed explanation of the requirements to designate a health care site as a Yellow Fever Vaccination Centre. These requirements are designed to help maintain the quality and safety of the procedures and materials employed.
How do I apply to have my health care site designated as a Yellow Fever Vaccination Centre?
- Please review the publication Procedures for Yellow Fever Vaccination Centre in Canada for the requirements and forms to be completed.
- The completed documentation can be submitted for processing by email, fax or mail.
Who can be the Nominated Health Care Practitioner at a Yellow Fever Vaccination Centre?
The nominated health care practitioner must be a health care worker who is:
- Licensed to practice in the province/territory where the health care site is located;
- In good standing with their provincial/territorial professional regulatory body; and
- Authorized under provincial/territorial legislation to administer the yellow fever vaccine without the direction of another health care provider.
The professional groups that are authorized to administer the yellow fever vaccine independently (i.e., without medical orders or directives) vary by province/territory. For more information on your authorization, please contact your provincial/territorial professional licensing body.
Who can administer the yellow fever vaccine at a designated Yellow Fever Vaccination Centre?
Yellow fever vaccination can be administered by a health care provider at a designated Yellow Fever Vaccination Centre who is authorized to do so within their scope of practice and with the appropriate authorizing mechanism, when required. For more information on your authorization, please contact your provincial/territorial professional licensing body.
What can I expect once my health care site is designated as a Yellow Fever Vaccination Centre?
Once the application has been reviewed and processed, the Public Health Agency of Canada will take the following steps:
- Send a confirmation package to the newly designated Yellow Fever Vaccination Centre, which will included two unique Yellow Fever Vaccination Centre identification stamps and an initial supply of the International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis and Certificate of Medical Contraindication to Vaccination;
- Notify Sanofi Pasteur, the manufacturer of the yellow fever vaccine approved for distribution in Canada, of the designation;
- Post the health care site's information to the Public Health Agency of Canada website list of designated Yellow Fever Vaccination Centres.
How can I obtain copies of the International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis?
- Designated Yellow Fever Vaccination Centres can order the Public Health Agency of Canada's International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis, by submitting an order form.
- Designated centres may also choose to order their International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis directly from the World Health Organization .
How do we notify you of changes to our clinic's information?
Designated centres must always notify the Public Health Agency of Canada of any changes to their site by submitting the appropriate forms. Please review the Procedures for Yellow Fever Vaccination Centres in Canada (Section 5B) for further instructions.
Once we have processed the forms, we will update the listing for the designated Yellow Fever Vaccination Centre on the Public Health Agency of Canada website.
How do we notify you of a change in the Nominated Health Care Practitioner?
In order to notify the Public Health Agency of Canada of this change, you must submit the following documents:
- Change in Nominated Health Care Practitioner Form
- Attestation Form, signed and completed by the new Nominated Health Care Practitioner
- A copy of the new Nominated Health Care Practitioner's current license to practice
Please review the Procedures for Yellow Fever Vaccination Centres in Canada (Section 5B) for further instructions
How do I re-designate my health care site?
The Public Health Agency of Canada will contact the Yellow Fever Vaccination Centre to notify them when it is time to renew their designation. Yellow Fever Vaccination Centres will be asked to review the current information that the Public Health Agency of Canada has on file and return signed copies of the renewal forms.
How do I complete the International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis?
The International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis is the official documentation used as proof of vaccination against yellow fever.
The Public Health Agency of Canada has developed guidelines for completing the International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis, which can be found in Procedures for Yellow Fever Vaccination Centres in Canada.
What documentation should I provide as a yellow fever vaccination waiver?
If the supervising clinician is of the opinion that the vaccination is contraindicated on medical grounds, he/she may provide a waiver to the traveller, outlining the medical opinion. This can be documented on the health care site's letterhead or by using the Public Health Agency of Canada's Certificate of Medical Contraindication to Vaccination.
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