It's not too late to get the flu vaccine!
Flu is now a year-round phenomenon, according to Victorian health authorities, after a 10-fold increase in infections in 2019.
The Age: Flu now a risk year-round as horror surge triggers $200 million package
Pharmacist Immunisers - in the media!
Pharmacists and doctors trade jabs over child flu vax
In recent changes announced by Health Minister Jenny Mikakos parents will be able to take their children aged between 10 and 16 to the chemist from April 2020 to get vaccinated against influenza.
The Age: Pharmacists and doctors trade jabs over child flu vax
"Allowing pharmacists to immunise people from 10 years of age gives families another opportunity to access the flu vaccine which may overcome time and geographical barriers. It's a great step forward to ultimately improve coverage across Victoria." Annie Cobbledick - Immunisation Pharmacist, Royal Children's Hospital.
Vaccines have long been available from the GPs and nurses; however, in recent years laws have changed to add pharmacists to the list of health professionals who can give select vaccines without a prescription. However, in states other than Victoria, it might cost you more.
For further information regarding pharmacist immunisers, please refer to our pharmacist immunisers reference page.
Australian Immunisation Handbook updates
The Australian Immunisation Handbook has recently been updated to reflect changes approved by the Chief Medical Officer, Professor Brendan Murphy, on 20th September 2019.
A summary of the updates is available at Updates.
Note: Changes include updates to 19 chapters of the Handbook, and various administrative updates to improve the usability of the Handbook, including updates to hyperlinks throughout the Handbook.
Travelling to a measles endemic country?
For infants travelling to countries experiencing extensive measles transmission, a free dose of MMR vaccine may be given as early as 6 months of age.
For further information, please refer to our updated measles reference page, which also contains a link to the Australian Academy of Science measles information.
Australian Academy of Science’s measles communication materials – advice for vaccination providers
The Australian Government in partnership with The Australian Academy of Science have launched a new campaign today to raise awareness about measles targeted at health professionals and consumers. The campaign materials focus on people most at risk of the disease, travellers and people born from 1966.
Read more about it here: Australian Academy of Science’s measles communication materials – advice for vaccination providers
New immunisation reference page: Cold chain
The cold chain is the system of transporting and storing vaccines within the temperature range of +2°C to +8°C from the place of manufacture to the point of administration. The optimal storage temperature for vaccines is +5°C.
The Vaccine Storage Guidelines 'Strive for 5' provides information and advice for vaccine storage management for Australian immunisation service providers.
For further information, please refer to the Cold Chain reference page.
Program released for the November Clinical Vaccinology Update
The program for our November 2019 Clinical Vaccinology Update has been released. Please see the link below for more details.
Vaccine Safety Net (VSN) Pinterest announcement: Pinterest & Vaccine Safety Net join forces
VSN is a network of websites providing reliable information on vaccine safety. Last year, the social media platform Pinterest stopped showing results for vaccine searches to tackle the spread of harmful misinformation.
In an announcement last week, Pinterest introduced a new search experience involving 200 vaccine-related search terms with the results curated exclusively by internationally recognized health organizations including the World Health Organization (WHO), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and the Vaccine Safety Net (VSN)!
Read more about it here: Pinterest & Vaccine Safety Net Join Forces
Good news: A national influenza vaccine program for under 5s!
这 Pharmaceuticals Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) has recommended the listing of quadrivalent influenza vaccine (QIV, Vaxigrip TetraTM) on the National Immunisation Program (NIP) for the prevention of seasonal influenza in children aged 6 months to <5 years as well as for individuals who are currently eligible for seasonal influenza vaccination through the NIP in 2020.