Respiratory Infection Vaccinations

Influenza

There is a National Immunisation Program (NIP) funded vaccination for influenza.

This NIP-funded vaccination is available for:

• Children aged six months to five years
• Indigenous Australians aged six months and over
• Pregnant women
• People aged 65 years and over

It is also available for people with certain medical conditions including the following lung conditions:

• Suppurative lung disease
• Bronchiectasis
• Cystic fibrosis
• COPD and chronic emphysema
• Severe asthma (requiring frequent medical consultations or the use of multiple medicines).

The non NIP-funded, but ATAGI-recommended vaccination is available for all non-Indigenous Australians aged five years and over.

You can learn more in the Australian Immunisation Handbook – Influenza.

Please note: All Queensland residents over the age of six months can access the influenza vaccine for free in 2024.

COVID-19

It is recommended to receive booster vaccinations every six months for Australians that are aged 75 years and over, or every 12 months for 65-74 year-olds and 18-64 year-olds with immunocompromise.

You can learn more in the Australian Immunisation Handbook – COVID-19.

Remember: a healthcare professional recommendation for vaccination to a patient is the strongest predictor of uptake. Talk to your adult patients about immunisation.

Pneumococcal disease

There is a National Immunisation Program (NIP) funded vaccination for pneumococcal disease.

This NIP-funded vaccination is available as a routine childhood immunisation. It’s also available for:

• Eligible people under 20 years of age
• Refugees/humanitarian entrants of any age who did not receive childhood immunisation
• Indigenous Australians aged 50 years and over
• Non-Indigenous Australians aged 70 years (catch-ups 71-79 years)

This is also available for people with certain medical conditions including the following lung conditions:

• Suppurative lung disease
• Bronchiectasis
• Cystic fibrosis
• Chronic lung disease in preterm infants.

The non NIP-funded, but ATAGI-recommended vaccination is available for:

• People with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD)
• Severe asthma
• Interstitial and fibrotic lung disease
• Smokers (current or in the immediate past)

You can read more in the Australian Immunisation Handbook – Pneumococcal disease.

Pertussis

There is a National Immunisation Program (NIP) funded vaccination for pertussis.

This NIP-funded vaccination is available as a routine childhood immunisation. It is also available for:

• Eligible people under 20 years of age
• Refugees/humanitarian entrants of any age who did not receive childhood immunisation
• Pregnant women

The NIP-funded vaccination and Pertussis-containing vaccines not NIP funded, but ATAGI-recommended are available for:

• Breastfeeding women (who didn’t receive a booster during pregnancy)
• People aged 50 years with their tetanus booster
• People aged ≥65 years if more than 10 years since last dose
• Adults who have not received a pertussis booster in the past 10 years who are healthcare workers
• Early childhood educators and carers or in close contact with infants
• Travellers

Read more in the Australian Immunisation Handbook – Pertussis.

Discuss pneumococcal vaccination with your patients who have COPD, interstitial and fibrotic lung disease, or severe asthma. Don’t wait until they are 70 (or 50 for Indigenous Australians) for the free vaccine. Patients may be willing to pay, and some health insurance policies subsidise the cost.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)

Not NIP-funded, but ATAGI-recommended vaccinations are available for people aged 75 years and over, and Indigenous Australians aged 60 to 74 years. It is also available for people aged 60 to 74 years with the following lung conditions:

• Suppurative lung disease
• Bronchiectasis
• Cystic fibrosis
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and chronic emphysema
• Severe asthma

Please also consider this vaccination in all other adults aged 60 to 74 years.

Read more in the Australian Immunisation Handbook – Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).