Many lupus patients are moderately to severely immunocompromised due to the disease itself and immunosuppressive treatments that are often required to control lupus symptoms. This puts lupus patients at high risk for severe illness and complications if they contract infections. In fact, the Canadian Immunization Guide (2024) notes that “infections are among the most common causes of morbidity, hospitalization and death in individuals with an autoimmune condition.”
While Ontario’s vaccine prevention programs are funded for certain high-risk populations, lupus patients are not eligible for some of these vaccines unless they meet other eligibility criteria such as age or accommodation. This leaves lupus patients who cannot afford to pay for the vaccines, or who do not have private insurance, vulnerable to illness, complications, and hospitalizations in addition to associated healthcare costs.
In 2025, an advocacy initiative commenced to bring this deficiency to the attention of the appropriate health authorities so that vaccines such as RSV, HPV, Shingles, Pneumonia and High-Dose Flu will be covered under the Ontario Health program.
Advocacy Day 2025 at Queen’s Park
On December 10th, Lupus Ontario staff, board members, and volunteers came together at Queen’s Park to advocate for improved access to vaccines for people living with lupus.
We hosted a lunch, inviting MPPs and voiced our ask:
Increasing Access to Publicly Funded Vaccines: Asking Ontario to expand eligibility for publicly funded RSV, shingles, and HPV vaccines to lupus and other immunocompromised patients.
We called on the Ontario government to expand eligibility for publicly funded vaccines—including RSV, shingles, and HPV—to better protect lupus and other immunocompromised patients.
The day featured remarks from supportive MPPs, powerful stories from lupus warriors, and expert insights underscoring how critical vaccine access is for preventing serious illness in our community.
In addition, we have drafted a letter to the Chief Medical Officer, asking to increase access for publicly funded vaccines.
We are deeply grateful to everyone who shared their voices and supported this important ask. Together, we continue to advocate for stronger protection and better care for those living with lupus.
