Immunisation Weekly Update:

Welcome to our weekly Immunisation Update! In this week’s update read about:

2025 flu vaccine pre-allocations open next week!

From April 2025, free influenza vaccines will be available to eligible people under the National Immunisation Program. Communication letters from NSW Health were sent to General Practices and Pharmacies who are registered with the NSW State Vaccine Centre, advising them about the start of the 2025 influenza vaccination program.

Prepare for the upcoming influenza season by completing the 2025 flu checklist which includes the following key dates:

• In the week starting 10 February 2025, an email will be sent to the email registered with your vaccine account with instructions to confirm your influenza vaccine pre-allocation (check junk mail).
• Confirm your pre-allocation of influenza vaccines online between 9am Monday 17 February 2025 and 4.30pm Friday 7 March 2025.
• Only confirmed pre-allocations will be delivered and pre allocation quantities cannot be increased by providers.
• Vaccine deliveries will commence from late March to early April 2025. Second orders can be placed once first orders are received and receipted in your vaccine account.

Download the 2025 Influenza Vaccination Toolkit now to prepare for the upcoming 2025 influenza season. Further information about the 2025 seasonal influenza vaccination program is available on the NSW Health site.

Register for the NSW influenza vaccination update 2025 webinar which will be held on 18 February 2025 from 7:00pm – 8:30pm.

Introduction of NSW Health revaccination program for bone marrow transplant (BMT) recipients

From 7 February 2025, NSW Health will be funding vaccines for revaccination of bone marrow transplant (BMT) recipients through their general practitioner or Aboriginal medical service. A communication letter was sent out to GPs and a new BMT vaccine order form is available on the NSW Vaccine Centre portal to order vaccines for eligible patients.

The Australian Immunisation Handbook recommends that people with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), including BMTs, require revaccination regardless of their previous vaccination history. This is to reduce the risk of infectious diseases.

New AIR antenatal indicator

From 8 February 2025, an antenatal indicator has been added to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR). This allows vaccination providers to report if a person is pregnant at the time of vaccine administration.

Legislative changes from 1 March 2025 will make it mandatory for all vaccination providers to report to the AIR information about whether an individual was pregnant at the time of vaccine administration.

Vaccination providers can report antenatal information to the AIR through clinical software or the AIR site, using either the:

• antenatal indicator – the new indicator will be rolled out in clinical software throughout 2025. You should update to the latest version of your clinical software to make sure you have the latest functionality
• vaccine type field – if the new antenatal indicator is not yet available in your clinical software, you must report antenatal information to the AIR using the ‘Antenatal’ option under the ‘Vaccine type’ field. Software providers have until October 2025 to update their software.

The legislative changes do not make having a vaccine mandatory. The changes make reporting the administration of vaccinations to the AIR by vaccination providers mandatory.

Record numbers tune in to watch RSV webinar

The NCIRS webinar ‘Australian RSV immunisation update – new funded programs for infant protection was broadcasted to a record number of live viewers and provided a comprehensive overview of RSV disease and relevant immunisation products as at February 2025.

Providers who missed the event are encouraged to watch the recorded presentations which are now available on the NCIRS webpage.

Suite of new and updated RSV resources

To support the rollout of the nation’s new RSV immunisation programs, the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care has expanded its range of publicly available information on RSV immunisation – accessible via the following links:

• Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine – consumer fact sheet
• Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine – frequently asked questions
• Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) products – program advice for health professionals

To keep pace with fast-moving developments in the RSV space, NCIRS has published a large batch of new and updated RSV resources for healthcare providers and the general public. Developed by NCIRS technical experts, these resources are accessible through the NCIRS RSV landing page and will be updated as required over time.

Updated: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV): Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

This FAQ webpage answers common questions about the disease and RSV immunisation products, based on the latest research.

New: State and territory nirsevimab (Beyfortus) infant program summary 2025

This handy new resource gathers details of program dates, eligibility criteria (for both the overall nirsevimab program and catch-up programs) and sites where nirsevimab will be administered as part of state and territory-funded programs for infants.

New: Clinical guidance on RSV immunisation product administration errors

This webpage gives advice for immunisation providers on management of a range of possible RSV immunisation product administration errors, including situations where the incorrect product is administered and where a product is administered to a person who is younger or older than the approved age registered for that product.

New: Vaccine recommendations for pregnant women – a guide for health professionals

This page offers a visual summary of current vaccine recommendations for pregnant women (including for RSV vaccine) in Australia and outlines the recommended gestational age at which vaccines should be given during pregnancy.

Updated: SKAI updated to include information on maternal RSV vaccination

The new Information about RSV disease and vaccine and updated Vaccination recommendations during the third trimester Sharing Knowledge About Immunisation (SKAI) webpages feature information about RSV vaccination during pregnancy.

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