How measles outbreak spurred renewed interest in national vaccine registry

"The federal government does not necessarily have a stellar track record when it comes to innovation and national registries," said Ian Culbert, the executive director of the Canadian Public Health Association.

Even so, he said the CPHA wants to see the development of a registry to be a priority.

"I think we need to proceed cautiously and make sure that we make solid and sound investments moving forward."

Health Canada points to the work being done under the Pan-Canadian Public Health Network, which helps share information when someone moves to a different province or territory. But the vision of public health advocates goes much further than that.

Ideally, Culbert said, a registry would offer a database for research purposes without containing identifying information, while individuals could still access their own information that would be safeguarded by health regulations.