Immunisation
How to obtain information on your immunisation status
Your parents or general practitioner may have the
relevant information on file. Alternatively, local government
immunisation clinics may have it, but you would need to know where you
were vaccinated in order to get the information.
Students will need to have the blood tested for:
Australian Standard Vaccination Schedule
A National Health and Medical Research Centre publication, The Australian Immunisation Handbook (8th edition, 2003) outlines the currently available vaccines and recommended vaccination schedules.
Students need to check which of the vaccines in the Australian Standard Vaccination Schedule they have already received: Diphtheria and Tetanus:
The recommended schedule comprises immunisation at 2, 4 and 6 months of age, with boosters at 4 and 15 years. Thereafter, boosting is no longer routinely recommended unless a high risk injury occurs, until the age of 50 when a further booster is given.
Poliomyelitis:
The recommended schedule comprises immunisation with inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) at 2, 4 & 6 months of age with a booster at 4 years. A single reinforcing dose, every 10 years, is indicated ONLY for travel to endemic areas.
Measles, Mumps & Rubella:
The recommended schedule for measles, mumps and rubella comprises immunisation with MMR at 12 months, and at 4 years. MMR is also recommended for adults born since 1966 who have not received two doses of vaccine in the past.
Hepatitis B:
This was only added into the routine childhood schedule in 2000 and therefore few adults will have received immunisation.
Varicella Zoster Virus (chickenpox):
Students with a reliable past history of chickenpox can be considered immune. If there is no history of chickenpox, serological status should be determined and, if seronegative, vaccination given (2 doses 1-2 months apart).
Pertussis:
A single booster dose (given as dTpa) is recommended prior to paediatric or obstetric terms.
Influenza:
Yearly vaccination is recommended for all students with patient contact.
Tuberculosis:
BCG is not generally recommended but Mantoux status should be determined.
In addition to the vaccines listed above, students may require other vaccinations e.g. Hepatitis A. |
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