Immunisation
Immunisation
Free telephone interpreter service
Free telephone interpreter service
The Doctors Priority Line is a free telephone interpreting service which helps medical practitioners to communicate with their non-English speaking patients. Use of the telephone interpreting service
(TIS National) is encouraged in general practices attended by refugees and other immigrants. General practitioners and specialists can use the Doctors Priority Line when providing services that are:
- claimable under Medicare
- delivered in private practices
- provided to non-English speakers who are Australian citizens or permanent residents.
The Doctors Priority Line is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Doctors who are not currently registered for the Doctors Priority Line can arrange access to the service with TIS National by filling out an online registration form. For more information see the Medical Practitioners Free Interpreting Registration Form online: www.immi.gov.au Community language resource: Translated factsheets on immunisation and vaccines are available in 20 community
languages online: www.health.vic.gov.au/immunisation
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Immunisation medical risk factor
A new improved reminder sticker has been developed to inform parents and immunisation providers about extra recommended free vaccines for babies born with medical risk factors that put them at increased risk of infection. The sticker should be put into the Child Health Record booklet (blue book) as a reminder to give the additional vaccine doses as appropriate. You can order the sticker online at: www.health.vic.gov.au/immunisation
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Need to order Gardasil® vaccine?
Girls in Year 7 of secondary school or age equivalent are eligible to receive free Human papillomavirus vaccine, Gardasil®. Some school girls prefer to attend their general practitioner for immunisation rather than be immunised at school.
Please call the Department of Health Immunisation Section on 1300 882 008 each time you need to order a Gardasil® vaccine. Please send your vaccine order form noted with the name of the person who accepted your request. A Gardasil® dose will be delivered along with a report form to notify the National HPV Vaccination Program Register of the dose administered. Only sufficient doses are supplied for use within the next month. Future doses can be ordered using the same system. If a Year 7 secondary school girl starts her first Gardasil® dose late in the year, she will be eligible for free Gardasil® vaccine doses in the following year. Therefore doses two and three of Gardasil® will still be free in 2011 for her course completion.
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Panavax H1N1 Vaccine - Product Information December 2009 99.75 kB
Today the TGA has announced that children between 6 months and 9 years of age are approved to receive the Panvax H1N1 vaccine.
The Commonwealth government health emergency web site has FAQs to assist:
http://www.healthemergency.gov.au/internet/healthemergency/publishing.nsf/Content/kids-vaccine-qna-toc
Things to note for the child Panvax H1N1 vaccine program:
Infants and children 6 months to less than 3 years
Are given 0.25ml IM
When the prefilled syringe (Panvax H1N1 Junior) is available, it contains 0.25ml (7.5ug HA)
2 doses are recommended with a minimum of 28 days between doses.
The multi dose vial (MDV) can be used until the prefilled syringe (Panvax H1N1 Junior) is in stock 0.25 ml must be withdrawn for injection from the MDV for infants and children 6 months to less than 3 years MDV contains thiomersal and is safe to be used in this age group (ATAGI recommendation). If travelling overseas shortly, a single dose offers very good protection in the short term. The second dose offers longer lasting protection
Children 3 to 9 years of age
Are given 0.5ml IM
0.5 ml (15ug HA) is withdrawn from the MDV for children 3 to 9 years of age. 2 doses are recommended with a minimum of 28 days between doses. Only use the MDV in this age group. MDV contain thiomersal and is safe to be used in this age group. If travelling overseas shortly, a single dose offers very good protection in the short term. The second dose offers longer lasting protection
You can start the child vaccine program now using the MDV. Remember to continue to follow the MDV guideline for safe vaccine administration.
Prefilled syringes of Panvax H1N1 Junior, 0.25ml (7.5ug HA) will be pre-allocated and sent out in the next 1 to 2 weeks.
Please find attached the product information for Panvax H1N1 including the indications for use in children following the approved use in children with TGA registration today.
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Rabies vaccine is free
Rabies vaccine is free for:
- volunteer wildlife workers in Australia
- post-exposure treatment following a bite or scratch from an animal in a rabies endemic area
Rabies vaccine stock for this purpose is ordered online by downloading the appropriate vaccine order form at: www.health.vic.gov.au/immunisation.Pre-exposure prophylaxis for both ABL infection and rabies, for all ages, consists of a total of three IM injections of 1 mL of rabies vaccine, the second given seven days after the first, and the third given 28 days after the first. Doses should be given in the deltoid muscle, as rabies neutralising antibody titres may be reduced after administration in other sites. In particular, vaccine should never be given in the buttock, as failure of pre-exposure prophylaxis has been reported when given by this route.
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