Key facts
- See a health professional about vaccines 6 to 12 weeks before your travel.
- You may need to pay for the vaccine and the appointment to get vaccinated.
- The vaccines you need will vary, depending on where you go and other factors.
Why vaccinate before going overseas
You should plan vaccinations before going overseas to avoid:
- getting sick from vaccine-preventable diseases, especially in high-risk countries
- bringing these diseases back to Australia.
Some vaccine-preventable diseases are more common in other countries than they are in Australia. Travelling can increase your risk of exposure to these diseases. Vaccination helps protect you, and can reduce the risk of bringing diseases back to Australia.
What to vaccinate against
Different countries have different vaccination requirements.
The recommended vaccines for travellers depend on a range of factors, including:
- where you travel
- when you travel
- your age
- whether you’re pregnant or planning pregnancy
- underlying medical conditions
- place of birth
- vaccination history
- when you were vaccinated (if your immunity has decreased over time, you may need a booster).
Before travelling check your immunisation history and make sure you and your child are up to date with routine vaccinations.
Also check you and your child are up to date with scheduled vaccines. These include:
- measles, mumps, rubella (MMR)
- diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough
- polio
- chickenpox
- influenza (flu).
The chances of getting these diseases may be greater while travelling overseas.
In fact, flu is the most common vaccine-preventable disease caught by travellers.
When to get vaccinated
It’s important to see your health professional early.
If you do need vaccinations:
- your body needs time to develop immunity
- you may need several doses of a vaccine for the best protection.
Visit a GP, participating pharmacy or travel health clinic 6 to 12 weeks before you leave Australia.
Cost
If you have a Medicare card, you can get vaccines on the National Immunisation Program (NIP) schedule for free.
Some travel vaccines are not free, so you will need to buy them. This may involve:
- getting a prescription for the vaccine
- buying it from a pharmacy
- going back to your health professional to get vaccinated.
The cost of vaccines depends on the type and where you buy them.
Some health professionals might have these vaccines available in their clinics. Some pharmacies also offer vaccination services.
Check with your health professional when you book your appointment.
Next steps
- Find out about infectious disease risk overseas from Smartraveller.
- Read travel advice for your destination – check if there are any health risks.
- Find out how to get vaccinated.
- Consider travel health in general and how else you should prepare.
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