Immunisation Weekly Update:

CESPHN national rank continues to improve for childhood vaccination coverage

The latest data on childhood immunisation coverage by Primary Health Network (PHN) And Statistical Areas Level 3 (SA3) for the period up to 31 December 2024 is now available on the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing website.

When benchmarked against other PHNs, Central and Eastern Sydney PHN (CESPHN) data shows significant improvements for all three standard age milestones (1 year, 2 years and 5 years old). Of 31 total PHNs nationally, CESPHN ranked 7^th, 17^th and 21^st for overall coverage rates in one-, two- and five-year-olds respectively. This is an improvement of 17, 8, and 9 spots respectively since December 2019.

Congratulations to immunisation providers in the region for their work in delivering vaccination services to the community – your hard work is reflected in the ranking improvements.

However, coverage rates do remain below the 95% target rate for all three cohorts: 93.5% for one-year-olds, 90.6% for two-year-olds, and 93.07% for five-year-olds. As national and global coverage rates continue to trend downward, it is important that healthcare professionals continue to encourage timely uptake of childhood immunisations and communicate the importance of vaccinations.

Change to supply of measles-containing vaccines

The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing wishes to advise of an upcoming change to the supply of measles-containing vaccines across Australia.

Key points
From 1 July 2025, supply of measles containing vaccines will move from 2 suppliers (GSK and CSL) to 1 (only GSK).
 
From 1 July 2025, vaccination providers:

• will not be able to place new orders for CSL’s M-M-R® II (MMR), and Varivax (Varicella)
• will only be able to order GSK’s Priorix (MMR), Priorix-Tetra (MMRV), and Varilrix (Varicella).
• should continue to use their current stock of M-M-R® II and Varivax until it either expires or runs out.

Measles alert for Sydney

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 travelling through Sydney International Airport. The case recently returned from South-East Asia where there are ongoing outbreaks of measles in several countries including Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia. 

People who were on board the below flight or attended the following locations in the airport should watch for the development of symptoms. These locations do not pose an ongoing risk:

• Vietnam Airlines flight VN773 – Departed Ho Chi Minh City 8:00pm Sunday 15 June, arriving in Sydney at around 8:00am Monday 16 June.
• Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport – International Arrivals and Baggage Collection areas between 8:00-9:30am Monday 16 June. 

Symptoms to watch out for include fever, sore eyes, runny nose and a cough, usually followed three or four days later by a red, blotchy rash that spreads from the head and face to the rest of the body. It can take up to 18 days for symptoms to appear after an exposure, so it’s important for people who visited these locations to look out for symptoms up until 4 July 2025.

Catch-up measles vaccinations

To help protect the community from measles, ensure that anyone born after 1965 has had two doses of measles vaccine. Catch-up measles vaccinations are available for free under the National Immunisation Program for:

• eligible people up to 20 years
• humanitarian entrants or refugees of any age

NSW Health also fund measles-containing vaccine for specific cohorts:

• children aged 6 months to less than 12 months travelling to a country where measles is endemic or outbreaks are occurring
• adults born during or after 1966

NSW residents urged to act as COVID levels rise on top of influenza

NSW Health is urging the community to do everything they can to protect themselves from COVID, including getting vaccinated, as cases rise across the state.

The latest NSW Respiratory Surveillance Report shows 3,475 people in NSW testing positive for COVID in the week ending 14 June, an increase of more than 10 per cent compared with the previous week. The upswing in COVID has come at the same time as influenza is on the rise and at moderate levels in NSW. Most people with COVID do not test for the virus, so the latest figures represent a small proportion of all people who have the virus.

Boosters are recommended for people 75 years and older every 6 months, and those 65 and older at least every 12 months.

For more information on eligibility for COVID vaccination, visit the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing website.

Read the full NSW Health media release here.

Japanese encephalitis resources updated

The Japanese encephalitis (JE) chapter in the Australian Immunisation Handbook has been updated to incorporate a range of new information, including:

• Updated recommendations on use of JE vaccines in target groups in risk regions of mainland Australia
• Updates on the epidemiology of JE in mainland Australia and the Torres Strait and the ongoing risk of JE transmission
• New evidence on Imojev and JEspect JE vaccines, including relating to immunogenicity, duration of protection and booster effects

NCIRS has also actioned a major update of their JE FAQs resource to reflect and support the updated Handbook chapter.

Source: NCIRS Weekly Jab newsletter 20 June 2025. Subscribe here: ncirs.org.au/user/register.

University of Sydney seeking GPs for research study

The University of Sydney are conducting a research study about how GPs make decisions about discussing and prescribing non-government funded vaccines.

They are seeking AHPRA-registered GPs, who have completed GP training and are practising in NSW, to take part in an interview with a researcher on Zoom. GPs will receive a gift card in recognition of their time.

Please contact Dr. Lucy Coles, Academic GP Registrar at the General Practice Clinical School, University of Sydney, by email at lucy.coles@sydney.edu.au, if you would like to participate or have any questions.

University of Sydney seeking GPs for research study