Clinical Vaccinology Update: Fri 26th Apr 2019 - Program announced
The program for the 2019 Clinical Vaccinology Update (CVU) is now available online. The CVU will be held on April 26th in the Copland Theatre (The Spot Building) at the University of Melbourne. We will be hosting a range of topics to be presented by some fantastic speakers. Registrations will be open in February- we look forward to seeing you there!
For further information please visit our CVU 2019 page
Spleen Australia- updated guidelines 2019
Spleen Australia have recently updated their medical recommendations for asplenic/hyposplenic adults and children. These guidelines also detail additional immunisation recommendations, including updated information on booster doses for pneumococcal and meningococcal vaccines in this patient group.
Please refer to our MVEC page for more information MVEC: Asplenia
Influenza vaccine for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
The November meeting of the PBAC saw a positive endorsement for the extension of the influenza vaccine program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 5 -17 years. This decision supports influenza vaccine funding for Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander people of all ages on the NIP.
Please refer to the link below for further information:
November 2018 PBAC meeting positive recommendations
New vaccine preventable disease fact sheets
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) has developed a series of factsheets detailing various vaccine preventable diseases (VPD's). These fact sheets provide information regarding the diseases, the number of cases reported in Australia, as well as rates of hospitalisation and deaths.
The fact sheets can be found via the following link:
Updated SAEFVIC Reporting Form (Online/ Print)
In support of the environment and sustainability efforts, MVEC encourages online reporting of adverse events following immunisations on www.aefican.org.au; online reporting ensures accuracy of information submitted to SAEFVIC.
However if a print copy is preferred, an updated SAEFVIC reporting form is now available on the SAEFVIC page.
WHO Immunization Monitoring Academy Webinars
The World Health Organization (WHO) is currently hosting a series of webinars exploring specific topics in immunisation monitoring. These webinars are open to anyone with an interest in this area. Further information and details on registration can be found via the link below:
Immunization Monitoring Academy: Webinars
New meningococcal resources
The Australian Academy of Science has released a new video detailing the devastating impact of meningococcal disease.
To access this video, as well as other meningococcal information, please follow the link below:
MVEC: Meningococcal disease and vaccines
Updated hepatitis B reference page
We have recently updated our hepatitis B reference page to incorporate the latest recommendations for serological testing, patients with impaired renal function as well as a new pathway for non-responders to the routine hepatitis B vaccine course. Please access the page below via the following link:
Menactra® and Prevenar 13® co-administration
Menactra® should not be administered on the same day as Prevenar 13®. Studies have shown that co-administration may result in a decreased immune response to some of the pneumococcal serotypes. If both vaccines are required, Prevenar 13® should be administered first followed by Menactra® at least 4 weeks later. If these vaccines are inadvertently administered on the same day, Prevenar 13® should be repeated a minimum of 8 weeks later. Menveo® and Nimenrix® may be co-administered with Prevenar 13®.
For further information please refer to The Australian Immunisation Handbook
World Health Organisation- Rabies
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has updated its position on rabies immunisation for pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis. The following position paper provides a summary on rabies disease and vaccines and concludes with the current WHO position on the use of rabies vaccines worldwide. The systematic review can also be accessed below. For further information on rabies disease please refer to MVEC's reference page.
Rabies vaccines: WHO position paper - April 2018
Pre-exposure rabies prophylaxis: a systematic review