ATAGI has released advice regarding the importance and safety of Hepatitis B vaccine at birth.
ATAGI recommends a birth dose for all newborns, irrespective of a mother’s hepatitis B status, as it is a safe and effective way to prevent transmission of hepatitis B virus from mother to infant, as well as transmission of hepatitis B virus from household contacts to the infant in the first few months of life.
ATAGI recommends that infants receive four doses of hepatitis B vaccine, starting with one dose of monovalent hepatitis B vaccine at birth, and a further 3 doses of a hepatitis-B containing vaccine at 2, 4 and 6 months of age. Low birthweight and pre-term newborns are recommended to receive a fifth dose at 12 months of age to ensure adequate protection.
General Practitioner representatives on the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) have prepared a bulletin providing a short overview of key issues from the ATAGI meeting relevant to General Practitioners. The bulletin is available to view here.
The State Vaccine Centre will be accepting vaccine orders until midday Thursday 18th December to be dispatched for delivery Friday 19 December. Routine deliveries will recommence on Tuesday 6 January 2026.
Please do not order excessive stock over this period to avoid excessive wastages in the event of unexpected power outages.
NSW Health is advising people to be alert for signs and symptoms of measles after being notified of a confirmed case who was infectious while visiting several locations across Sydney.
The case recently returned from South-East Asia, where there are ongoing outbreaks of measles in several countries including Indonesia.
The list of locations is available on the NSW Health website.
The Australian Influenza Vaccine Committee (AIVC) has recommended the following viruses for the 2026 southern hemisphere trivalent influenza vaccines in Australia, following evaluation of the recent epidemiological, antigenic, and genetic data from circulating influenza viruses in Australia and the southern hemisphere. The Committee supports the use of trivalent influenza virus vaccines within Australia for the 2026 influenza season as the inclusion of a B/Yamagata lineage antigen is no longer warranted in Australia.
Egg-based influenza vaccines:
Cell-based influenza vaccines:
For further information, please refer to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) webpage.
| Sunday 15 February 2026, 15:00 AEDT – Monday 16 February 2026, 16:00 AEDT Pullman Melbourne Albert Park or Online | Immunisation Coalition: 27th Annual Scientific Meeting The 27th Annual Scientific Meeting will bring together leading experts, health professionals, and policymakers to discuss key topics of immunisation nationally and globally over two days. Please use the following link to register: 27th Annual Scientific Meeting Registration |
| Monday 15 June 2026, 09:00 AEST – Wednesday 17 June 2026, 15:00 AEST Marvel Stadium, Melbourne | Public Health Association Australia: Communicable Diseases & Immunisation Conference 2026 Please use the following link to register: Registration | CDIC 2026 |
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