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GARDASIL vaccines are now available!
The new vaccine for HPV (Human Papillomavirus Virus) is now available in clinics for females.
Rotavirus vaccine
What is rotavirus?
Rotavirus gastroenteritis is a highly infectious virus causing severe diarrhoea. About 42 per cent of cases are babies under 12 months and 92 per cent of cases are children under 5 years of age. In children under 5 years, rotavirus results in 10,000 hospitalisations, 22,000 emergency department visits and 115,000 GP visits every year. The impact of rotavirus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children is much more severe. They are three to five times more likely to be hospitalised, are often hospitalised at a younger age and stay more than twice as long in hospital compared with other infants. When will the Government’s rotavirus vaccination program start?
The two rotavirus vaccines will be available at no cost under the National Immunisation Program from 1 July 2007. All babies born from 1 May 2007 will be eligible for free rotavirus vaccine. The vaccine will be available from GPs and other immunisation service providers such as local community immunisation clinics. The rotavirus vaccine will generally be given at the same time as other immunisations at 2, 4 and 6 months of age, depending on the brand used. Where can I get more information?
More information on the National Immunisation Program and vaccines is available at the Immunise Australia web site. www.immunise.health.gov.au/ Parents, carers and immunisation providers can also contact their state or territory health department for further information.
www.immunise.health.gov.au/internet/immunise/publishing.nsf/Content/contacts Updated Immunisation Schedule In Victoria from July 2007, a routine schedule of vaccines are provided free under the National Immunisation Schedule.
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