Immunisation Weekly Update:

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

• Whooping cough infections on the rise
• Mpox important updates
• Yellow Fever course update
• Provider update on COVID-19 vaccines
• Vax at home program ceasing 30 September 2024
• Video resources for childhood immunisation
• Education

Whooping cough infections on the rise

NSW Health published a media release on 12 September 2024 urging pregnant women, parents and carers of babies, grandparents and other people in close contact with babies to be vaccinated against pertussis (whooping cough) to protect babies from severe disease.

The latest data shows that notifications of whooping cough are at their highest level since 2016, with over 12,000 cases reported in NSW from January to September 2024.

Pregnant women are recommended to be vaccinated between 20 and 32 weeks of every pregnancy as this enables whooping cough antibodies to be transferred to their unborn baby.

All people in contact with newborn babies are recommended to have had a pertussis vaccine within the previous 10 years.

Mpox important updates

Call out to s100 prescribers to deliver mpox vaccination 

Mpox vaccination is a critical step in reducing the spread of the virus, particularly among high-risk populations. As trusted healthcare providers, general practitioners and nurse immunisers play a vital role in protecting their communities by offering this vaccine. We urge you to begin vaccinating eligible patients and raising awareness about mpox prevention. Your proactive efforts can significantly reduce transmission and protect vulnerable individuals.

To assist in access to mpox vaccination, all s100 prescribers are invited to receive NSW Health funded Jynneos vaccine for their eligible patients. If you would like to receive Jynneos vaccine please contact your local public health unit on 1300 066 055.

The following people are eligible to be vaccinated against mpox:

• All sexually active gay and bisexual men (cis and trans).
• Sex workers.
• Sexual partners of the people above.
• People who have been in contact with mpox 

Mpox vaccination is free and a Medicare card is not needed at the clinics listed here. Local clinics include:

• RPA Sexual Health Clinic, Camperdown
• Kirketon Road Centre, Darlinghurst
• Short Street Centre Sexual Health Clinic, St George Hospital, Kogarah
• The Albion Centre, Surry Hills
• Sydney Sexual Health Clinic, Sydney & Sydney Eye Hospital
• RPA HealthOne Green Square, Zetland

Yellow Fever course update

From 1 October 2024, the Yellow Fever Vaccination Learning and Accreditation Course (formerly the Yellow Fever Vaccination Course) will be hosted by the Interim Australian Centre for Disease Control. The content of the course has not changed. The yellow fever vaccination course link will be accessible on the Department’s yellow fever webpage from 1 October 2024.

Practitioners who previously completed the course on the Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine (ACRRM) website, will still be able to access their course completion certificate, however the course itself will no longer be hosted on the ACRRM website after 30 September 2024. Completion certificates awarded by ACRRM remain valid until the expiry date specified on the certificate.

Individual practitioners must complete the Yellow Fever Vaccination and Accreditation Course every three years to prescribe the yellow fever vaccine in Australia.

For further information on the new hosting arrangement, please contact the department’s Yellow Fever Vaccination Learning and Accreditation Course team at yellowfevercourse@health.gov.au.

Provider update on COVID-19 vaccines

The following COVID-19 vaccine formulations are no longer available to order on CVAS:

• Moderna (XBB.1.5) 12 years+ PFS vaccine – all stock now expired
• Pfizer Bivalent (BA.4-5) 12 years + (Grey) (ancestral formulation) – all stock now expired
• Pfizer 6 months to 4 years (Maroon)vaccine (ancestral formulation) – due to expire 30 September 2024

Sites are reminded not to administer any expired vaccines beyond their use-by date and must discard any remaining stock and ensure that it is reported as wastage in CVAS.

Vax at home program ceasing 30 September 2024

The Vax at Home Program was introduced in 2021 during the COVID-19 global pandemic. Throughout the existence of the program, CESPHN along with its providers have supported the most vulnerable people in our community, delivering nearly 700 COVID-19 vaccinations to housebound patients and close to 9,000 vaccinations to residents in residential aged care homes.

The Vax at Home Program will be ceasing at the end of September 2024. The last day for GP referrals for housebound patients that need a COVID-19 vaccine or booster, will be Wednesday, 18 September 2024. Further information can be found here.

Video resources for childhood immunisation

Browse the Department’s video resources from the ‘One more way you keep them safe’ campaign on childhood immunisation. Video collection includes:

• Schedule and tips: Learn more about the schedule and tips for childhood immunisation.
• Videos for expectant parents: Expectant parents can learn about the safety of vaccines, how they for work for pregnancies and newborns, immunisation tips and more.
• Case study videos: Hear from other parents about their experiences with routine childhood immunisations.

Education