National Immunisation Program Schedule (vaccinations)

View Immunisation Table

Additional Notes for Risk Groups:

• Pregnant Women: Recommended pertussis vaccination in each pregnancy, ideally between 20-32 weeks, and influenza vaccination at any stage of pregnancy.
• People with Specified Medical Risk Conditions: Higher risk of complications from infections, requiring additional doses for pneumococcal, meningococcal, influenza, and other vaccines.
• Refugees and Humanitarian Entrants: Eligible for catch-up vaccines, including hepatitis B, polio, measles-mumps-rubella, HPV, and others depending on age.
• Immunocompromised Individuals: Additional vaccines or different schedules for pneumococcal, shingles, and meningococcal.

ATSI Specific

Vaccine	2 Months (from 6 weeks)	4 Months	6 Months	12 Months	18 Months	4 Years	≥5 Years (Annually)	50 Years and Over
Meningococcal B: Bexsero®	✔	✔	✔ ATSI children w specified medical risk conditions	✔
Pneumococcal: Prevenar 13®			✔(WA, NT, SA, Qld)			✔ (WA, NT, SA, Qld)		✔ Prevenar 13® & Pneumovax 23® (3 doses)
Influenza (age-appropriate)			✔ Two doses 1 month apart, then annual				✔ One dose annually	✔ One dose annually
Hepatitis A: Vaqta® Paediatric					✔(WA, NT, SA, Qld)	✔(WA, NT, SA, Qld)
Shingles (herpes zoster): Shingrix®								✔ Administer 2 doses

The following vaccines are provided free to adults:

https://www.health.gov.au/topics/immunisation/when-to-get-vaccinated/immunisation-for-adults

Age	Disease
Pregnant women	Influenza and pertussis (whooping cough) – SeeImmunisation for pregnancy
All Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults	Influenza
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults 50 years and over	Pneumococcal and shingles
People 65 years and over	Influenza and shingles
People 70 years and over	Pneumococcal

Vaccines for people with medical risk conditions

based on: https://www.health.gov.au/topics/immunisation/when-to-get-vaccinated/immunisation-for-people-with-medical-risk-conditions?language=und

Vaccine	Eligibility/Conditions	Additional Information
Pneumococcal	– Children under 12 months with specific medical conditions (6 doses over time) – All people 12 months and over with specific conditions (3 doses)	Free for those at higher risk due to: – Functional/anatomical asplenia – Immunocompromising conditions – Chronic diseases (lung, kidney, heart) – Premature birth – Down syndrome – Specific surgeries (cochlear implants, intracranial shunts) – CSF leaks – History of invasive pneumococcal disease
Meningococcal	– Children under 12 months with specific medical risk conditions (dose schedule depends on age) – All people 12 months and over with specific conditions (2 doses of both ACWY and B vaccines)	Free for those at higher risk due to: – Functional/anatomical asplenia/hyposplenia – Complement deficiency – Treatment with eculizumab
Influenza	– People aged 6 months and over with medical conditions increasing risk of complications (annual vaccination)	Free for those at risk due to: – Heart disease – Chronic lung disease – Chronic neurological conditions – Impaired immunity – Haemoglobinopathies – Diabetes – Kidney disease
Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)	– people who are immunocompromised , including people with asplenia and people who have received a haematopoietic stem cell transplant.	Free for those eligible under the National Immunisation Program
Shingles (Shingrix)	– Immunocompromised people aged 18 years and over with: – Haematopoietic stem cell transplant – Solid organ transplant – Haematological malignancy – Advanced or untreated HIV	– Free for those previously vaccinated with Zostavax if eligible – Must wait 12 months between Zostavax and Shingrix

Condition/Eligibility	Pneumococcal	Meningococcal	Influenza	Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)	Shingles (Shingrix)
Functional or anatomical asplenia/hyposplenia	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No
Immunocompromising conditions	Yes (incl. organ and stem cell transplants, HIV)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes – stem cell transplant – solid organ transplant – HIV
Chronic diseases (lung, kidney, heart)	Yes	No	Yes	No	No
Premature birth	Yes	No	No	No	No
Down syndrome	Yes	No	No	No	No
Previous invasive pneumococcal disease	Yes	No	No	No	No
Complement deficiency	No	Yes	No	No	No
Treatment with eculizumab	No	Yes	No	No	No
Heart disease	No	No	Yes	No	No
Chronic lung disease (severe asthma)	No	No	Yes	No	No
Chronic neurological conditions	Yes cochlear implants and intracranial shunts	No	Yes	No	No
Diabetes	No	No	Yes	No	No
Kidney disease	No	No	Yes	No	No
Haematological malignancy	No	No	No	No	Yes
CSF leaks	Yes	No	No	No	No

Booster dosing

QLD specific:

• COVID-19 Updates: Continual updates on COVID-19 vaccination are provided, with the latest information accessible through Queensland Health.
• Annual Influenza Program: Annual vaccinations recommended for everyone aged 6 months and older to prevent influenza and its complications.
• Pertussis, Influenza, and COVID-19 Vaccination for Pregnant Women: Pertussis vaccine recommended between 20 and 32 weeks of pregnancy, Influenza vaccine can be administered concurrently but should not be delayed for simultaneous administration.
• Shingles Vaccination: From November 1, 2023, the Shingrix® vaccine is free under the NIP for adults aged 65 years and older.
• Hepatitis B Vaccination: Funded for specific high-risk groups under the NIP.
• Queensland School Immunisation Program:
  • Free vaccinations are provided to students in Year 7 and 10 through schools.
    • Year 7 students (or age equivalent)
      • human papillomavirus (HPV), given as one dose
      • dTpa (diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough), given as one dose
      • influenza, given as one dose each year, there may be a fee for this
    • Year 10 students (or age equivalent)
      • meningococcal ACWY, given as one dose
      • meningococcal B, given as 2 doses
      • influenza, given as one dose each year, there may be a fee for this

Meningococcal B (MenB) Vaccination Program:

• A new QLD-funded program targeting the meningococcal B strain, rolling out in early 2024 across schools and primary care providers.
• Infant and Childhood Program
  • Infants aged 6 weeks to 12 months of age (eligible for vaccination through the Queensland MenB Vaccination Program):
    • 3 doses of Bexsero® menB vaccine (2 dose primary course and one booster dose).
    • These will be administered with other National Immunisation Program (NIP) vaccines at 6 weeks, 4 months and 12 months of age.
  • Children aged between 12 months and less than 2 years of age (eligible for vaccination through the Queensland MenB Vaccination Program)

Age Group	Vaccine Dose	Vaccination Time	Additional Information
Infants (<12 months)	1st Dose	6 weeks	Administered with other NIP vaccines
	2nd Dose	4 months	Administered with other NIP vaccines
	Booster Dose	12 months	Administered with other NIP vaccines
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Infants with Medical Risks	Additional Dose	6 months	–
Children (12 months to <2 years)	1st Dose	Start any time between 12-23 months	–
	2nd Dose	Minimum 8 weeks after the 1st dose	–

• Adolescent Program
  • Adolescents aged 15 to 19 years inclusive (15-<20 years) (eligible for vaccination through the Queensland MenB Vaccination Program):
    • 2 doses Bexsero® vaccine with a minimal interval of 8 weeks between doses.
  • Students in year 10 will be offered vaccination through the Queensland School Immunisation Program
  • People with specific medical conditions (eligible for vaccination through the National Immunisation Program):
    • People with the following conditions are considered to have an increased risk of invasive meningococcal disease:
    • defects in, or deficiency of, complement components, including factor H, factor D or properdin deficiency
    • people with acquired complement deficiency due to receipt of complement inhibitor therapy (including but not limited to eculizumab or ravulizumab)
    • functional or anatomical asplenia, including sickle cell disease or other haemoglobinopathies, and congenital or acquired asplenia
    • HIV, regardless of disease stage or CD4+ cell count
    • haematopoietic stem cell transplant

Meningococcal B (Bexsero®) vaccination schedule according to the manufacturer’s guidelines:

Prophylactic Paracetamol Recommendations

Due to the increased risk of fever¹, prophylactic paracetamol is recommended with every dose of Bexsero in children <2 years of age²

Note: The Australian Immunisation Handbook recommends the prophylactic use of paracetamol with every dose of Bexsero administered to children <2 years of age, regardless of presence of fever. ² †Or as soon as practicable afterward.² *ATAGI recommends doses of paracetamol to be given 6 hours apart.²

Bexsero can be given concomitantly with the following vaccine antigens (monovalent or as combination vaccines)

• Diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis, hepatitis B, inactivated poliomyelitis, Haemophilus influenzae type B
• Meningococcal group A, C, W, Y conjugate
• Heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate
• Measles, mumps, rubella, varicella

Catch-up Vaccinations:

• Vaccines for children and adolescents aged 10 to 19 years are free under the National Immunisation Program.
• This is to help those who didn’t get them in childhood to get up to date through a catch up schedule
  • Human papillomavirus (HPV) up to and including 25 years
  • dTpa, meningococcal ACWY up to and including 19 years
  • meningococcal B : children aged over 12 months to less than 2 years.

Pneumococcal Vaccination

Risk conditions at increased risk of pneumococcal disease:

• Previous episode of invasive pneumococcal disease
• Functional or anatomical asplenia, including
  • sickle cell disease or other haemoglobinopathies
  • congenital or acquired asplenia (for example, splenectomy) or hyposplenia
• Immunocompromising conditions, including
  • congenital or acquired immune deficiency, including symptomatic IgG subclass or isolated IgA deficiency
  • haematological malignancies
  • solid organ transplant
  • haematopoietic stem cell transplant
  • HIV infection
  • immunosuppressive therapy, where sufficient immune reconstitution for vaccine response is expected; this includes those with underlying conditions requiring but not yet receiving immunosuppressive therapy^a
  • non-haematological malignancies receiving chemotherapy or radiotherapy (currently or anticipated)^a
• Proven or presumptive cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak, including
  • cochlear implants
  • intracranial shunts
• Chronic respiratory disease, including^b
  • suppurative lung disease, bronchiectasis and cystic fibrosis
  • chronic lung disease in preterm infants
  • chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and chronic emphysema^a
  • severe asthma (defined as requiring frequent hospital visits or the use of multiple medications)^a
  • interstitial and fibrotic lung disease^a
• Chronic renal disease
  • relapsing or persistent nephrotic syndrome
  • chronic renal impairment – eGFR <30 mL/min (stage 4 disease)^c
• Cardiac disease, including ^b
  • congenital heart disease^d
  • coronary artery disease^d
  • heart failure^d
• Children born less than 28 weeks gestation^d
• Trisomy 21^d
• Chronic liver disease, including^b
  • chronic hepatitis^a
  • cirrhosis^a
  • biliary atresia^a
• Diabetes^a – Not funded under the NIP
• Smoking (current or in the immediate past)^a
• Harmful use of alcohol (consuming on average ≥60 g of alcohol (6 Australian standard drinks) per day for males and ≥40 g of alcohol (4 Australian standard drinks) per day for females)^a

a. Not funded under the NIP
b. Individual conditions listed beneath or those that are similar based on clinical judgment
c. Funded under the NIP for eGFR <15 mL/min only (including patients on dialysis)
d. Funded under the NIP for children <5 years of age only