Immunisation

 

Monthly Immunisation Clinic

We provide free community immunisation clinics on the second Tuesday of every month at 9:30 – 11.30am at the Council Chambers, 15 Channel Highway, Kingston.

Immunisation Dates for 2024

  • 9 January
  • 13 February
  • 12 March
  • 9 April
  • 14 May
  • 11 June
  • 9 July
  • 13 August
  • 10 September
  • 8 October
  • 12 November
  • 10 December

This is not a COVID clinic. Vaccines are provided in accordance with the National and Tasmanian Immunisation Schedule. Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis vaccines are available at a cost to those outside of the Immunisation Schedule. You can make a payment in advance at Council prior to the clinic day. You will need to bring along your receipt to the clinic.

Vaccines offered:

AgeVaccine
6 weeksInfanrix Hexa (DTPa/Hib/Hep B/IPV)
*Vaxelis (DTPa/Hib/Hep B/IPV)
Prevenar 13 (13vPCV)
Rotarix (6 - 14 weeks of age)
4 monthsInfanrix Hexa (DTPa/Hib/Hep B/IPV)
*Vaxelis (DTPa/Hib/Hep B/IPV)
Prevenar 13 (13vPCV)
Rotarix (10 - 24 weeks of age)
6 monthsInfanrix Hexa (DTPa/Hib/Hep B/IPV)
*Vaxelis (DTPa/Hib/Hep B/IPV)
12 monthsPriorix or M-M-R II (MMR)
Nimenrix (Men ACWY)
Prevenar 13 (13vPCV)
18 monthsPriorix-Tetra or ProQuad (MMRV) (b)
Tripacel or Infanrix (DTPa)
Act-HIB (Hib) (h)
4 yearsInfanrix IPV or Quadracel (DTPa/IPV)
Pneumovax 23 (23vPPV)

Pregnant women (recommended 20-32 weeks gestational period) are offered Adacel or Boostrix (combined diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough dTpa) at the Clinic as well as an Influenza vaccine (during any stage of the pregnancy).

*Vaxelis® was introduced on 1 July 2023 to the Australian Immunisation Handbook and should be given to new babies of 2, 4 & 6 months of age. It is also suitable and funded for use in children less than 10 years of age who have not previously received the DTPa-hepB-IPV-Hib vaccination (catch-up vaccination).

It is recommended that the same vaccine brand is used for all 3 doses of the primary course where possible – if the baby has already received Infanrix Hexa, they should remain on Infanrix Hexa for their remaining course. If this is not possible, alternate brands can be used and immunisation should not be delayed due to brand.

Coming to our Clinic

  • All clinics require a booking. Please contact the Environmental Health team by phoning 03 6211 8200.
  • Please see your GP for any travel related vaccination.
  • This is not a COVID-19 vaccination clinic.

School Immunisation Program

We visit each high school within the Kingborough municipality to carry out an immunisation program for Grade 7 and Grade 10 students, in line with the National Immunisation Schedule:

Grade 7:

  • Diphtheria, Tetanus, Acellular Pertussis (whooping cough) – Boostrix vaccine 1 dose
  • Human papillomavirus – Gardasil vaccine 1 dose

Grade 10:

  • Meningococcal ACWY – Nimenrix vaccine 1 dose

Consent forms are delivered to the high schools in preparation for the program in February each year. Parents must fill out and return consent form/s to the school if they wish for their child to be immunised in the school program. Late forms will not be accepted.

Recording immunisation

Every time a child is immunised, it should be recorded in the Personal Health Record (Blue Book) which is given to parents after a baby is born.

It is important to keep these records as a reminder of when immunisations are due and to help in checking which children are immunised if there is an outbreak of disease. You may also need to show these records when your child starts school.

The Personal Health Record and clinic records are completed by the doctor, nurse or health worker giving the immunisation.

Details of the immunisations are also sent to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) which is a national database for recording details of all immunisations given to people who live in Australia. Parents can telephone the AIR on 1800 653 809 (free call) for information about their child’s immunisation status or go to their MyGov account – with Medicare linked – for their online immunisation status.

Request an immunisation history

We can provide records of immunisations that have been given through our public and school immunisation programs. However, if you or your child attended a school outside of the Kingborough municipality then you will need to contact the council in that municipal area.

Please complete the Online Immunisation Request Form to retrieve these details.

More information

For more information about our immunisation programs, please contact us on (03) 6211 8255 or kc@kingborough.tas.gov.au

More detailed information on the school based immunisation program can be found on the Department of Health and Human Services website .

Frequently Asked Questions:

What is immunisation?

Immunisation is a simple, safe and effective way of protecting children, as well as adults, from a number of serious diseases.

Immunisation uses the body’s natural defense mechanism – the immune response – to build resistance to these infections.

Twelve diseases can be prevented by routine childhood immunisation:  diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), poliomyelitis (polio), measles, mumps, rubella (German measles), haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), hepatitis B, meningococcal C, pneumococcal pneumonia and varicella (chickenpox). All of these diseases can cause serious illness and sometimes death.

Is everyone protected from disease by immunisation?

Immunisation gives a good level of protection against disease, but unfortunately there can be no guarantee of 100% protection. A small number of people will not develop protection even though they have been immunised. A small number of people may only develop partial protection, but if they do catch the disease they have been immunised against, it is less severe.

Why should I have my child immunised?

There are three reasons for immunising Australian children:

  • Immunisation is a highly effective way of giving protection against disease. After immunisation, your child is far less likely to catch a disease if there are outbreaks in the community.
  • If enough people in the community are immunised, an infection can no longer be spread from person to person and the disease dies out altogether. This is how smallpox was eliminated from the world, and how polio has been eliminated from many countries.
  • Despite excellent hospital care, significant illness and death do still occur from diseases which can be prevented by immunisation.

What are the common side effects of immunisation?

Common side effects of immunisation are redness and soreness at the site of injection, and low-grade fever. These reactions can be treated by giving your child paracetamol and by keeping your child cool with light clothing and plenty to drink.

Serious side effects are extremely rare, and usually happen very soon after immunisation. This is why we ask those being immunised to stay in the waiting area after immunisation for at least 15 minutes. If worrying or persistent reactions develop later, medical help should be obtained.

Having a serious side effect after an immunisation is extremely rare: the risk of developing a dangerous or even deadly disease is far greater. These two issues have to be weighed up when deciding whether to go ahead and have yourself or your child immunised.

Can all children be immunised?

Most children can have the full range of immunisations with safety. A very small number of children should not have immunisations, or should delay having immunisations, because they have certain medical conditions. This should be discussed with your family doctor or your paediatrician.

Where should immunisations be recorded?

Every time a child is immunised, this information should be recorded in the Personal Health Record (Blue Book) which is given to parents after a baby is born. It is important to keep these records as a reminder of when immunisations are due and to help in checking which children are immunised if there is an outbreak of disease. You may also need to show these records when your child starts school. The Personal Health Record and clinic records are completed by the doctor, nurse or health worker giving the immunisation.

Details of the immunisations are also sent to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) which is a national database for recording details of immunisations given to people from 0 to 21 years old who live in Australia. Anyone can inquire about their immunisation status (including parents on behalf of their children) by telephoning the AIR on 1800 653 809 (free call).