Immunisation Weekly Update:

Immunisation education

Register for upcoming immunisation education webinars, including CESPHN’s annual immunisation update. View past webinar recordings on our Immunisation | Education webpage.

Last chance to apply – Immunisation Conference – Nurse Scholarship (valued at $600)

CESPHN is offering nurses an opportunity to attend a two-day immunisation conference valued at $600, which will be held at the Pullman Sydney Airport (Gadigal Country), Mascot NSW. Applicants must be able to attend in-person, two full days of conference on Wednesday 1st May and Thursday 2nd May 2024. For more information see our Immunisation | Nurses webpage.  

Eligible nurses are encouraged to apply here. Applications close Sunday 31 March 2024.

NSW and QLD follow WA in announcing free infant RSV vaccines

Beyfortus™ (nirsevimab) will be available during the 2024 RSV season to protect eligible vulnerable babies against RSV. In NSW, the program will be immediately available in public hospitals to infants who are vulnerable to severe illness from RSV including:

• babies born before 37 weeks gestation and after 31 October 2023
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander babies born after 31 October 2023
• other infants living with specified chronic and complex health conditions.

The program will be rolled out in a phased approach, with prioritisation given to babies in phase 1. The proposed phases are as follows:

• Phase 1 will target eligible infants currently in public hospitals (administered at discharge) meeting the eligibility criteria.
• Phase 2 will target the remaining eligible cohorts.

Beyfortus™ (nirsevimab) is a long-acting monoclonal antibody that has been approved by the TGA for neonates and infants born during or entering their first RSV season and children up to 24 months of age who remain vulnerable to severe RSV disease through their second RSV season.

A range of information and resources about the program have been made available on the NSW Health website, including:

• NSW Health RSV Prevention webpage
• Frequently asked questions about Beyfortus™ (Nirsevimab) for health professionals
• RSV Program – Clinician Guide
• Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) fact sheet

COVID-19 handbook chapter updates

Australian Immunisation Handbook COVID-19 chapter was updated 15 March 2024 to reflect the latest ATAGI 2024 recommendations, updating its advice regarding COVID-19 vaccination for people with a history of COVID-19 infection. The previous guideline against vaccinating people with a recent history of infection has been removed.

15 March 2024 updates throughout the chapter including:

• new recommendations for further doses of COVID-19 vaccine every 6 months for adults aged ≥75 years, every 12 months and consider every 6 months for adults aged 65–74 years, and consider every 12 months for adults aged 18–64 years; people aged ≥6 months with severe immunocompromise are recommended further doses every 12 months and can consider a dose every 6 months
• new recommendations for 1 primary dose of COVID-19 vaccine for adults aged ≥18 years; 2 primary doses with consideration of a 3rd for people aged >6 months with severe immunocompromise; a single primary dose can be considered for children aged 5 to <18 years with other medical conditions that may increase the risk of severe COVID-19
• a table of severely immunocompromising conditions and treatments
• a simplified table of other conditions for which COVID-19 vaccines can be considered

Influenza vaccination program 2024

Pre-allocations have now closed. Deliveries are expected to commence late March or early April 2024 when the vaccines become available to the NSW vaccine centre. Orders will be dispatched to practices who have reviewed and confirmed their first order allocation.

If you have not placed your influenza order yet, you can now place your order online. These orders will be delivered once all pre-allocation orders have been distributed.

Due to the volume of orders at the start of the season it can take around four weeks for the NSW vaccine centre to deliver all first influenza vaccine orders.

Further information about the NSW Health 2024 influenza vaccination program here. NCIRS Influenza FAQ here.

Better immunisation conversations start with listening

Sharing Knowledge About Immunisation (SKAI) is home to credible information and resources to support your immunisation conversations with parents.

SKAI gives you easy access to evidence-based information about the vaccines recommended for Australians, the diseases they can prevent, as well as respectful and helpful answers to common questions parents have about immunisation.

‘The Healthy Kid Check’ online course

APNA is offering a module called ‘182- The Health Kid Check’. Participants will learn to outline the essential elements of a ‘Healthy Kid Check,’ recognise developmental milestones for four-year-olds, perform physical assessments on children, engage in conversations with parents, and more.

This module is suitable for nurses, particularly those in primary health care setting, and free for members.