Yellow Fever Update: New Yellow Fever vaccination certificate requirements
Yellow fever vaccine is required for travellers to affected areas in Africa and South America (CDC maps of Yellow Fever regions) and significant outbreaks continue (see Lancet: Yellow Fever: a global reckoning). There have been recent changes in vaccination requirements, with many countries now accepting life-long validity of yellow fever certificate. This is in line with WHO Health Assembly recommendations effective from June 2016, following reviews which found a single dose of the vaccine offers protection for life.
The Australian Government is adopting the WHO amendment for the yellow fever vaccine from the 16th of June 2016, with current border control processes in place until this time (Department of Health: Yellow Fever factsheet).
Clinicians can consult the list of the yellow fever certificate requirements for individual countries, including the current accepted period of validity for yellow fever vaccination certificates, on the recent "International Travel and Health" WHO publication (Yellow Fever vaccination requirements by destination)
Alert: Falsified “AMARIL" Yellow Fever vaccines circulating in South East Asia
Families often request administration of vaccines overseas, due to cheaper costs, despite unknowns regarding supply and quality of vaccines.
The WHO has recently issued a statement confirming falsified Yellow Fever vaccines have been circulating in Bangladesh. The product is able to be identified by a number of ‘falsified elements on the packaging… as well as other inconsistencies through visual inspection”. No serious adverse reactions have been identified, the broader distribution of the falsified vaccine is not described. The full details together with images of the product are available on the WHO alert.
Another reason to have yellow fever vaccine in Australia is to make sure you are optimally protected at the time of arrival. As a live attenuated vaccine, it takes 3-4 weeks for the vaccine to produce protection from this serious disease.
2016 TVU presentations now available
Thanks to everyone who attended our first Travel Vaccinology Update at The Larwill Studio in March 2016. The presentations are now available for viewing on our website. Please follow the link below to access them.
Our next update will be the Clinical Vaccinology Update to be held in December at the SPOT theatre, Carlton. We look forward to seeing you there.
Travel Vaccinology Update March 2016 presentations
Interesting SAEFVIC education articles
We have created a new immunisation reference page containing interesting case studies and other educational articles written by SAEFVIC and published in the Department of Health newsletter.
For more information please follow the link to our website SAEFVIC education articles
CVU Presentations now available
Thanks to everyone who attended the Clinical Vaccinology Update at Monash University in November 2015.
Many of the presentation from the day are now available for viewing on our website, please follow the link below to access them. The next CVU will be held at the SPOT theatre, Carlton in December 2016 and we will look forward to seeing you there.
Clinical Vaccinology Update November 2015 presentations
No Jab No Play
The Victorian state Government’s recently proposed ‘No Jab, No Play’ legislation will be effective from the 1st of January 2016.
The aim of these changes is to improve vaccination rates and reduce the spread of vaccine preventable diseases. It will require confirmation of vaccination status when enrolling for childcare. Similar legislation is already in place in NSW and Queensland.
More details on the legislation and documentation required are in the Resources section of the 'No Jab no Play' page on our MVEC website
BCG vaccine availability
Note: there is currently a worldwide shortage of BCG vaccine.
The current Australian supply ends December 31st 2015 and at this stage there is no replacement BCG vaccine available.
To make a BCG clinic appointment before 2016, please see the Resources on the BCG Vaccine immunisation reference page.
For more information on the BCG vaccine please follow the link to our website BCG Vaccine
Clinical Vaccinology Update June 2015
Registrations are now open for the first CVU for 2015. It will be held in the Copland Theatre of Melbourne University's School of Business & Economics in Carlton. For more information and to purchase tickets, please follow this link to the Events page
Influenza recommendations for 2015
Please head to our immunisations references for information on the 2015 influenza recommendations
Influenza vaccine recommendations 2015
The Art of Saving a Life
'The Art of Saving a Life' is a project commissioned by Bill & Miranda Gates to celebrate the stories behind some of the amazing breakthroughs in immunisations. Dr Ruth Bishop of the Royal Children's Hospital, was recently honoured by being photographed by Annie Leibovitz as part of the project. For more information, please visit the site The Art of Saving a Life
