Routine vaccines are recommended for infants, children, adolescents, adults and pregnant women, at scheduled ages for optimal protection from vaccine-preventable diseases. Eligibility for vaccines is outlined on the schedule.
Vaccines on the schedule are provided for free under the National Immunisation Program (NIP) and Western Australian government programs.
Immunisation providers are reminded to actively review patient immunisation history as recorded on the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) and offer appropriate vaccinations and catch-up vaccinations as recommended in the Australian Immunisation Handbook (external site).
Eligibility
Childhood immunisation
Under the NIP, vaccines are provided for infants and children from birth to four years of age. Additional vaccines are also recommended for Aboriginal children, and those with medical risk conditions.
WA also provides meningococcal ACWY vaccines for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 6 weeks to 11 months or catch-up where eligibility criteria under the NIP are not met.
Adolescent immunisation
The school-based immunisation program provides vaccines for students in year 7 and year 10, under the NIP. Adolescents that are home schooled or do not attend school can access these vaccines for free through their primary care provider.
Adult immunisation
The NIP provides:
MMR vaccination
For all adults born during or since 1966 without evidence of receiving two documented doses of valid MMR vaccine or without serological evidence of immunity, one or two doses of measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine are provided.
People with higher risk of acquiring Hepatitis A or B
Free hepatitis B vaccines are provided for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people over 20 years of age who are non-immune.
Free hepatitis A and/or B vaccines are provided for the following people who are at increased risk of acquiring these infections, and include:
- men who have sex with men
- people who inject drugs
- sex industry workers
- people living with HIV, chronic hepatitis B or C infection or chronic liver disease
- people newly notified with hepatitis C (newly acquired or chronic/unspecified) from 1 September 2005 or hepatitis B (newly acquired or chronic/unspecified) from 1 January 2019
- ·non-immune close contacts of hepatitis B cases (hepatitis B vaccine)
For further information, immunisation providers should refer to the Guidelines for the Provision of Hepatitis A and B Vaccine to Adults in Western Australia at Risk of Acquiring these Infections by Sexual Transmission and Injecting Drug Use (PDF 248KB).
Note: the WA Department of Justice funds hepatitis A and B vaccines for people in corrective facilities; this group is not eligible for WA Department of Health funded vaccines.
Catch-up schedules
If a person has not received their routine vaccines in the WA Immunisation Schedule, they should be vaccinated using an appropriate catch-up schedule as soon as possible.
Catch-up vaccines are provided for free to Australian residents aged < 20 years, and to refugees and humanitarian entrants aged 20 years and over, under the NIP. Refer to the fact sheet (external site) for more information.
Schedules are planned by immunisation providers based on age, vaccination history, current recommendations and risk factors. For persons <10 years of age, the National Immunisation Catch-up Calculator (external site) can be used to assist in developing appropriate catch-up schedules. For persons aged > 10 years of age, refer to the Australian Immunisation Handbook (external site) for timing of doses.
Seasonal influenza immunisation
The NIP provides seasonal influenza vaccines for people at higher risk of influenza-related complications including children, pregnant women, older adults, those with medical risk conditions and all Aboriginal people over 6 months of age.
WA also funds the following groups:
- Primary school aged children (≥ 5 years to Year 6), not eligible for NIP-funded vaccines.
- Vulnerable cohorts, which includes non-NIP eligible residents in congregate living settings and people experiencing homelessness aged < 65 years of age.
- WA Health staff, including all persons attending WA Health staff influenza vaccination services.
Medical risk conditions
People with medical risk conditions are recommended to have additional vaccines. Further information is provided in the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) clinical advice on vaccine recommendations for people with risk conditions from 1 July 2020 (external site) and the Australian Immunisation Handbook (external site).
Post-exposure prophylaxis for rabies and other lyssavirus (including Australian bat lyssavirus)
For persons that have been exposed to rabies or Australian bat lyssavirus. Refer to the WA Protocol for accessing immunoglobulin blood products for public health use in Western Australia.
Last reviewed: 12-05-2022
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Public Health