The Committee’s name was formally changed to the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) in June 1978. Since October 2004, NACI has reported to the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada who heads the Public Health Agency of Canada. The current mandate of NACI is “to provide the Public Health Agency of Canada with ongoing and timely medical, scientific, and public health advice relating to vaccines and certain prophylaxis agents (e.g., immunoglobulins)”. NACI publishes its recommendations in an open-access

electronic periodical called the Canada Communicable Disease Report this website (CCDR) (http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/publicat/ccdr-rmtc/index-eng.php), which is indexed in the MEDLINE of the National Library of Medicine, and Advisory Committee Statements also appear on the public website of NACI. With the support of the Centre

for Immunization and Respiratory Infectious Diseases at PHAC, NACI publishes a handbook on vaccine and immunization information called the Canadian Immunization Guide every four years in hardcopy and pdf format. In the future, the Guide will be published in an evergreen, evolving electronic format. The guide is seen as a useful and reliable resource by immunization providers across the country and is available at: http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/naci-ccni/index-eng.php. Membership on NACI consists of twelve voting members from across Canada who are recognized experts in the fields of pediatrics,

infectious diseases, immunology, medical microbiology, internal medicine, nursing, pharmacy and public health. There are eleven liaison members from various organizations ZD1839 cell line with interests in immunization, as well as six ex officio members from relevant areas within the federal government who contribute Endonuclease to working groups and full committee discussions (Table 1). While liaison and ex officio members do not vote on NACI recommendations, they are integral to NACI’s work, and bring essential knowledge and perspectives to the recommendation process. Selection of NACI members is based on expertise in relevant fields. Members are expected to express their personal opinions as informed by their professional expertise, rather than, for example, the province or region they live in. Appointments are by the Chief Public Health Officer, and reflect the PHAC’s policy that committee membership be fairly balanced in terms of points of view represented, diverse geographic areas and the committee’s function. Members are appointed for a term of four years and may be requested to renew their membership for a second term of four years. Membership is reviewed on a regular basis by the Chair and Executive Secretary. When vacancies occur, calls for members are made public through the NACI website and to professional groups (e.g. liaison groups). Interested individuals are encouraged to submit their curriculum vitae through the website.