Vaccinations
In the past, there were countless diseases that marred or shortened life. Now, many are easily prevented through vaccination.
ENGADINE SKIN CANCER CLINIC
Vaccinations
Which medical invention has saved the most lives? According to the World Health Organization, it’s vaccination.
That’s why we consider vaccination one of the most important preventive healthcare services we offer at Engadine Medical Centre.
The history of vaccination
There are some colourful characters in the history of vaccination – daring individuals and innovative scientists.
The crew includes several pioneering women like:
- Lady Mary Wortley Montagu who brought Turkish vaccination practices to the UK in 1721
- Dr Anna Wessels Williams who isolated a strain of diphtheria bacteria crucial to the development of a vaccine in 1894
- Pearl Kendrick and Grace Eldering who demonstrated the efficacy of the first whooping cough vaccine in 1939. Kendrick and her colleagues later created the first 3-in-1 vaccine for diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus in 1948.
National Immunisation Program Schedule
The National Immunisation Program Schedule offers vaccinations to babies and children, adolescents and adults (including people with certain medical conditions). These are free if you have a Medicare card.
Childhood vaccinations
From birth to age 4, your child will be offered a number of routine vaccinations. Children with medical risk conditions may require additional vaccinations.
- Diphtheria
- Tetanus
- Pertussis (whooping cough)
- Hepatitis B
- Polio
- Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)
- Rotavirus
- Pneumococcal
- Meningococcal B (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children)
An annual flu vaccination
- Diphtheria
- Tetanus
- Pertussis (whooping cough)
- Hepatitis B
- Polio
- Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)
- Rotavirus
- Pneumococcal
- Meningococcal B (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children)
- Diphtheria
- Tetanus
- Pertussis (whooping cough)
- Hepatitis B
- Polio
- Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)
- Pneumococcal (Children with specified medical risk conditions)
- Pneumococcal (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in WA, NT, SA, Qld)
- Meningococcal B (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children with specified medical risk conditions)
- Meningococcal ACWY
- Measles, mumps, rubella
- Pneumococcal
- Meningococcal B (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children)
- Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)
- Measles, mumps, rubella,
- Varicella (chickenpox)
- Diphtheria
- Tetanus
- Pertussis (whooping cough)
- Hepatitis A (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in WA, NT, SA, Qld)
- Diphtheria
- Tetanus
- Pertussis (whooping cough)
- Polio
- Pneumococcal (Children with specified medical risk conditions)
- Pneumococcal (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in WA, NT, SA, Qld)
- Hepatitis A (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in WA, NT, SA, Qld)
There are no further scheduled vaccinations throughout primary school (though we do recommend an annual flu vaccine for children).
Once your child reaches high school, it’s time for more vaccinations.
- Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine*
- Diphtheria
- Tetanus
- Pertussis (whooping cough)
*If your child misses this vaccine, a catch-up jab is available until they turn 26.
Meningococcal ACWY
Flu vaccine
Adult Vaccinations
By this stage of life, you’re probably holding down a job, raising kids or enjoying a busy social life. You probably can’t afford to become seriously ill. Vaccination is one of the best ways to stay healthy.
| At-risk medical conditions |
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| In pregnancy |
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| Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults | Aged 50:
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| Annually |
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| Seniors | 65+
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| At-risk medical conditions | In pregnancy | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults | Annually | Seniors |
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| Aged 50:
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| 65+
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Getting vaccinated at Engadine Medical Centre
At Engadine Medical Centre, we’re committed to keeping you and your community healthy. We offer hassle-free appointments with a gentle yet efficient administration of vaccines for patients of all ages. Our reminder system also ensures you’ll stay on track with your or your child’s vaccinations.
When you come for your vaccination, you’ll first see one of our GPs. They’ll ask you some questions about your health and run some checks. If all is well, then either your doctor or one of our practice nurses will deliver your vaccination.
After the vaccination, we’ll ask you to remain in our comfortable reception area for 15 minutes. In rare cases, some patients experience a reaction to the vaccinations so we like to keep our eye on you for 15 minutes just in case.
Like all medical interventions, vaccinations can have some side effects. Your doctor will tell you what to look out for. In most cases, these side effects are minor issues like mild cold or flu-like symptoms or a slightly sore arm. If you have any concerns in the days after your vaccination, please call us.
Vaccination FAQs
Vaccines prime your immune system to fight a particular infection when it needs to.
From time to time, your body is exposed to a bacteria, virus, parasite or funguse that can cause disease (pathogen). Each pathogen includes specific antigens – and your body produces specific antibodies in response. You can imagine these antibodies as a team of soldiers in your immune system, specifically trained to fight a certain type of disease. You have thousands of different antibodies already based on the diseases your immune system has already encountered and fought off.
But diseases are always changing. You’re bound to encounter new pathogens that your body cannot yet defend itself against. A vaccine contains weakened or inactive parts of a particular pathogen that triggers your immune response. You don’t contract the disease in question but you do gear up to fight it. If you are exposed to that disease in the future, you’re immune system should quickly swing into action to defend you. Vaccination may therefore prevent you from contracting a certain disease or it may protect you against becoming seriously ill with it.
Whooping cough (pertussis) is a highly infectious and potentially very serious upper respiratory tract infection.
Vaccination against whooping cough is recommended for:
- Children aged 2, 4, 6 and 18 months of age and again at 4 years
- Adolescents aged 12-13 (Year 7)
- Pregnant women at around 20-32 weeks’ gestation in each pregnancy
- Adults aged 50 and 65
- Every 10 years for people in close contact with babies, including healthcare workers, early childhood educators, parents and grandparents.
Yes. Whooping cough is a highly contagious disease. One of the best ways to protect vulnerable babies from it is to vaccinate the adults in their lives – parents, grandparents and any regular carers.
So, if your family is welcoming a new baby soon, then we recommend you get a whooping cough vaccination.
Vaccination against tetanus is recommended for:
- Infants, children and adolescents as part of routine childhood immunisation
- People who have a tetanus-prone wound
- Anyone travelling to a country where good healthcare is hard to access
- Anyone who has missed their routine tetanus vaccination
- Refugees and other humanitarian entrants of any age.
The tetanus vaccine lasts for around 10 years. If it’s around a decade since your last tetanus shot, we recommend a booster.
Disclaimer
All information is general and not intended as a substitute for professional advice.