Immunisation Weekly Update:

20190319 Immunisation Needle Icons 31

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

The start of a new year is an ideal time for providers to review their immunisation processes, including:

The Public Health Unit (PHU) has recently received several reports in which pregnant women were inadvertently administered Arexvy® RSV vaccine, however Abrysvo® is the only RSV vaccine approved for use in pregnant women.

There are two recombinant RSV pre-fusion protein vaccines approved for use in Australia: 

  • For people aged 60 years and over, both Abrysvo® and Arexvy® are available for use.  
  • For pregnant women from 28 to 36 weeks gestation, only Abrysvo® is recommended. 

All vaccine administration errors must be reported to the PHU on 1300 066 055.  

In December 2024, the NSW Immunisation Schedule was updated. Changes include:

  • Addition of hyperlinks to all Australian Immunisation Handbook references.
  • Removal of Nimenrix® brand for Year 10 students. MenQuadfi® is now the only funded brand of meningococcal ACWY vaccine for this age group.

From 2 January 2025, new sites wishing to join the National COVID-19 Vaccination Program (NCVP) will now need to contact the Vaccine Operations Centre (VOC) directly.

New or recommencing sites who wish to register their expression of interest can contact VOC either by email or phone at COVID19VaccineOperationsCentre@health.gov.au or 1800 318 208.

Staff at the VOC will collect the information required to onboard the site.

Any queries about the NCVP should be directed to the VOC as they are best placed to assist sites and have systems in place to collect a history of all interactions with the primary care sites.

This A3 poster details the recommended injection sites for the co-administration of multiple childhood vaccines. It was developed by NCIRS to support providers in delivering safe and effective immunisations.

The poster features detailed illustrations and practical tips for immunisation providers and has proven to be highly popular resource since it was launched. Order poster by emailing us at immunisation@cesphn.com.au.

Immunisation Recommended Sites For Childhood Vaccination

On 1 Jan 2025, AIR forms IM011, IM013 and IM018 were updated to reflect current vaccines included on the National Immunisation Program:

IM011: AIR immunisation medical exemption form

• Updates to the vaccine list: addition of Shingrix, addition of Comirnaty JN.1, removal of AstraZeneca.

• Updates to COVID-19 vaccine names: removal of manufacturer name (Pfizer, Moderna, etc).

IM013: AIR immunisation history form

• Addition of a new tick box column to indicate if the individual was “pregnant at the time of vaccination” included in the Adolescent, Adult, Japanese encephalitis virus, Influenza and COVID-19 sections.

• Updates to the Vaccine type column: removal of “Private” and “State Program” options.

IM018: AIR immunisation encounter form

• New question: Was the individual pregnant at the time the vaccine was administered

• Updates to the Vaccine type column: removal of “Private” and “State Program” options.

• Updates to the vaccine list: addition of Comirnaty JN.1, removal of AstraZeneca.

• Updates to COVID-19 vaccine names: removal of manufacturer name (Pfizer, Moderna, etc).

The NSW Health childhood vaccination webpage has been updated with a new layout, a video about childhood vaccination, and links to a range of the resources including:

REGISTER 6 February 2025 12:00pm – 1:30pmNCIRS webinar: RSV immunisation update – new funded programs for infant protection This NCIRS webinar will explore RSV disease and prevention and expand on the new funded RSV programs. The expert panel will present on the new NIP-funded RSV vaccination program for pregnant women to protect their infants and complementary state funded RSV monoclonal antibody programs for infants.
REGISTER 9 – 10 February 2025 Start: 9 Feb 5:15pm Finish: 10 Feb 5:00pmImmunisation Coalition: The 26th Annual Scientific Meeting This event is expected to hold significant importance for the scientific and medical community, government health officials, academics, and various health-related non-government organisations.
REGISTER 6 March 2025 7:00pm – 8:30pmMastering Cold Chain Management: Strive for 5 Guidelines and NIP Vaccinations for Pharmacists
This session is specifically for pharmacist immunisers and will cover the importance of cold chain management, ensuring your pharmacy is meeting ‘Strive for 5’ guidelines, and best practices for storing and handling NIP vaccines. Learn about current tools and technologies for monitoring cold chain, ensuring patient safety, and maintaining compliance with regulations. Enhance your skills to improve vaccine storage practices in your pharmacy.
REGISTER 11 March 2025 7:00pm – 8:30pmCESPHN Annual Immunisation Update 2025 CESPHN’s annual immunisation update will cover the latest clinical recommendations on RSV, influenza and COVID-19 vaccines for 2025, as well as recommendations for vaccines not included on the NIP. The presentation will also cover vaccination for at-risk population groups including children who are unwell, pregnant women, and patients with additional needs.