Concept: Manitoba Immunization Monitoring System (MIMS)

Introduction

MIMS is a population-based monitoring system that provides monitoring and reminders to help achieve high levels of immunization. Immunization status is monitored by comparing the system record and the recommended schedule.

In Manitoba, children are regularly scheduled to be immunized after six months and during the first few years of their life (Roberts et al., 1994). Missing or incorrectly coded immunizations produce a letter to the family or provider requesting correction or completion. "Reminders" are distributed through public health offices with amended records returned for data entry. Children whose records remain incomplete are actively followed by public health offices and offered immunization (Black et al., 1999).

All immunizations given to provincial registrants born on or after January 1, 1980 are recorded in MIMS. The MIMS file contains the following information:


• Registry data
  
• Code identifying vaccine administered
  
• Vaccine sequence in the immunization schedule
  
• Service date
  
• Provider identifiers

The goal of the Manitoba program is essentially complete and timely immunization of all children in the province. The Manitoba Immunization Monitoring System (MIMS) is one of many databases in the Manitoba Population Research Data Repository (Repository), which supplies information to health care decision-makers, analysts and providers, so they can offer services which are effective and efficient in improving the health of Manitobans.

For more information on immunizations, please see the links to additional information in the Related Concepts, Related Terms and Links sections below.

Cautions

• The program covering all Manitoba children aged 18 and under started in 1990. Prior to 1990 there is some coverage for Winnipeg and rural Manitoba back to 1986. Adult coverage started in 2000/2001. The coverage of adult information still needs to be validated.
  
  
• MIMS has two files (Master and Cancel) which are created at different times, so one file contains slightly newer data than the other. One of the events which triggers a Cancel record is death. In working with these files (in October 2007) and looking at mortality, Randy Walld found that, for many of the 2004/05 deaths being studied, the latest immunization is actually found in Cancel, not Master. Fixing this problem only adds about 1,800 immunizations (for 2004/05). Overall rates don't change much, but a number of individuals who died switch from (incorrectly classified) "Not Immunized" to "Immunized".
  
  For people who have their Manitoba Health Registration cancelled, for example when they move out of province or they are deceased, the immunization record may be removed from the "active" immunization (MIMS) file and be placed in the "cancelled" immunization (MIMS) file.
  
  
• Beginning in the fall of 2004, influenza immunizations are provided through public funding to healthy children (six to 23 months of age).
  
  
• There is a known under-reporting of routine infant immunizations among First Nations people / aboriginals.