Changes to the No Jab, No Play legislation
As of February 28 2018, changes to the "No Jab, No Play" legislation have come into effect. Only Immunisation History statements provided by the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) will be the accepted proof of immunisation. Previous forms of documentation (eg GP letter or local council statement) will not be accepted. For further information refer to MVEC's No Jab No Play reference page.
AEFICAN.ORG.AU the new national surveillance website
We would like to advise you that the 赛维克 website address has changed to aefican.org.au which is a national surveillance website
*Please note saefvic.org.au will be temporarily redirected to the new aefican.org.au website.
- Your existing login details will still work on this new website so there is no need to reregister**.
- Upon signing in you will be automatically directed to the Victorian, SAEFVIC arm which continues to only be accessible by SAEFVIC staff.
- There is no change to our reporting or follow up services so please continue to report as usual.
New Users
For new users of aefican.org.au you will need to register via the Register tab on the homepage. Please enter email address, create password and all other required fields. Subsequent logins will be via the Login tab entering username and selected password. Once logged in your details will be auto filled on the Reporter details page.
If you have any queries you can contact us on 1300 882 924 (Option 1) or [email protected]
Regards,
The SAEFVIC team
**For those reporters who live interstate and registered a non-Victorian address, you will need to re-register with a Victorian address. The new AEFI-CAN system is state-based so automatically directs users to the portal for the state/territory registered in their account.
Immunisation - Get the Facts
A new campaign has been launched by the Government to encourage parents to 'Get The Facts About Immunisation'.
We know parents want evidence based information to support decision making about childhood vaccinations, so we're making it easier to 'get the facts'.
You can find out more information about the campaign by visiting www.immunisationfacts.gov.au
Measles alert
Several cases of measles have recently been confirmed in Victoria. Measles is a highly contagious disease that can cause rash, fevers, cough and in severe cases can result in fatal complications including pneumonia and brain inflammation. Please refer to MVEC for further information on 麻疹 或者 Chief Health Officer Alert
The power of vaccinating pregnant women- an interesting article
"Vaccinating pregnant women is crucial, and a way of plugging the "immunisation loophole" and protecting their unborn babies"
Below is a link to an interesting article, published by the BBC, outlining the importance of vaccinating pregnant women
http://www.bbc.com/news/health-36335609
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.
No Jab No Play
The Victorian state Government’s recently proposed ‘No Jab, No Play’ legislation will be effective from the 1英石 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 31英石 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
New Measles Alert
Measles is a highly contagious disease that causes skin rash and fever. (In severe cases, it can lead to sometimes fatal complications such as pneumonia and brain inflammation.)
Melbourne is experiencing increased measles activity—several children have been admitted to the RCH, and cases have occurred in returned travellers.
Anyone who hasn’t been immunised is at high risk of infection—particularly children and healthcare workers.
To help stop the spread of measles, please share this information:
- Immunisation is the best protection against measles.
- Under the National Immunisation Program, a 1英石 measles vaccine dose is recommended at 12 months of age. A 2nd routine dose is recommended either at 18 months of age or 3.5 to 4 years of age (depending on date of birth).
- If parents request an early second dose for their child (for example, because they are aged between 13 months and 4 years), a second dose can be provided at least one month after the initial dose.
- The second dose will be MMR-Varicella (MMRV) or MMR (for children that have previously received a funded monovalent Varicella vaccine at 18 months of age).
- Whilst there is no active recalling of patients for measles vaccinations, 2nd measles doses administered early are government funded and will be accepted as valid doses by the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register (ACIR).
- If you are unsure about your child’s vaccination history or your own immunity, check your immunisation records and/or contact your general practitioner.
- Additional measles vaccine doses for adults require a prescription.
For more information contact the RCH Immunisation Centre on (03) 9345 6599 or 1300 882 924.
Further resources can be found at:
Victorian Department of Health: Measles News release