Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander People
Information about immunisation and vaccination programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, adolescents and adults.
The Australian Government administers a number of immunisation programs for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people through the National Immunisation Program (NIP) and the National Indigenous Pneumococcal and Influenza Immunisation (NIPII) Program.
Vaccination for our Mob, a summary report prepared by the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS) in 2006, describes the national picture of vaccine coverage and vaccine preventable disease in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. For other immunisation publications concerning Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, see the Publications & Resources page.
Please refer to Part 2.1 Vaccination for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People in the Australian Immunisation Handbook 9th Edition 2008 (NHMRC) for more technical information.
Children
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children living in certain regions require extra protection against some diseases. Children from these states should receive all the routine vaccines given to other children, with the following differences and additions:Pneumococcal infection
In Queensland, the Northern Territory, Western Australia and South Australia an additional booster dose of the pneumococcal vaccine (PneumoVax®23) is required between 18 and 24 months. This is required because Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children living in these areas continue to be at risk of pneumococcal disease for a longer period than other children. The vaccine used for this dose is different from the one used for babies.Hepatitis A vaccination program
In Queensland, the Northern Territory, Western Australia and South Australia the Government provides free hepatitis A vaccine for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children less than five years of age because hepatitis A is more common among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in these areas than it is among other children. Two doses of vaccine are given between 12 and 24 months of age.Hib (Haemophilus influenzae type b)
In the Northern Territory and certain remote areas of South Australia the preferred vaccine is a specific type, called Hib PRP-OMP. This vaccine provides increased protection to very young infants and is used because there is an increased risk for this age group among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children living in these areas. This vaccine should be given at 2, 4 and 12 months of age, at the same time as other routine vaccines.Adults
National Indigenous pneumococcal and influenza immunisation program (NIPII)
This program provides free pneumococcal and influenza vaccines, through community controlled Aboriginal Medical Services (AMS), State/Territory immunisation clinics and general practitioners, for Indigenous people who are:- aged over 50; and
- aged 15 to 49 who are at high risk, according to National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) recommendations
Respiratory diseases are major causes of preventable sickness and death in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, with some Aboriginal communities having the highest incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease in the world.
Page last modified: 05 May, 2009