Immunisation Community of Practice

The HNECCPHN is excited to announce that Expressions of Interest (EOI) are now open to General Practices to participate in a Free Adult Pneumococcal Vaccine Recall Program - Starting in Early 2025

The PHN, in collaboration with GoShare and Pfizer, is inviting General Practices within our region that use CAT4 to participate in a free Pneumococcal SMS recall program.

This Quality Improvement Activity supports a streamlined recall process, to increase the uptake of the National Immunisation Program (NIP) funded Pneumococcal vaccination in older adults.

Register to participate here.

For additional information on the program and for a QI PDSA example, please refer to the document folder on this page; 2025 Adult Pneumococcal Vaccine Recall Program

Please contact Kaycee via practicesupport@thephn.com.au if you require additional information

SHINGRIX Australian Product Information has been updated as of the 1st of November. These changes will further support the quality use and safe administration of SHINGRIX.

The changes include:

• The addition of a recommended needle gauge for reconstitution (21G-25G)

• Specific instruction to administer 0.5mL of the reconstituted vaccine.

The inclusions in section 4.2 of the Australian PI are below:

Instructions for Use and Handling: The powder and suspension should be inspected visually for any particulate matter and/or variation to the expected appearance (i.e. white powder and opalescent, colourless to pale brownish liquid). If either is observed, do not reconstitute the vaccine¹.

How to prepare SHINGRIX:

SHINGRIX must be reconstituted prior to administration¹.

1. Withdraw the entire contents of the vial containing the suspension into a syringe with a suitable needle (21G to 25G)¹.

2. Add the entire contents of the syringe into the vial containing the powder¹.

3. Shake gently until the powder is completely dissolved¹.

The reconstituted vaccine is an opalescent, colourless to pale brownish liquid¹.

The reconstituted vaccine should be inspected visually for any foreign particulate matter and/or variation of appearance. If either is observed, do not administer the vaccine¹.

After reconstitution, the vaccine should be used promptly; if this is not possible, the vaccine should be stored in a refrigerator (2°C – 8°C). If not used within 6 hours it should be discarded¹.

Before administration:

1. Withdraw the entire contents of the vial containing the reconstituted vaccine into the syringe¹.

2. Change the needle so that you are using a new needle to administer the vaccine¹.

3. Administer 0.5mL intramuscularly¹.

AUSTRALIAN PRODUCT INFORMATION SHINGRIX (RECOMBINANT VARICELLA ZOSTER VIRUS GLYCOPROTEIN E ANTIGEN) POWDER AND SUSPENSION FOR SUSPENSION FOR INJECTION (ACCESSED ON 21 NOVEMBER 2024).

The Department of Health and Aged Care has clarified recent misinterpretations about the inclusion of the Abrysvo^® RSV vaccine for eligible pregnant women to the National Immunisation Program (NIP) for 2025.

To clarify:

• The maternal RSV vaccine, Abrysvo®, will be provided for free through the NIP to eligible women at 28 to 36 weeks of pregnancy. The maternal RSV vaccine will be in addition to the whooping cough and influenza vaccines, already available for free through the NIP for pregnant women.
• States and Territories will provide access to the monoclonal antibody, Beyfortus™, to newborns and young children. This product will not be covered through the NIP.

The Australian Government is working with all States and Territories to support a coordinated approach to accessing maternal and infant RSV products. Arrangements are underway and further details of both Commonwealth and jurisdictional programs, including the start dates, will be announced once confirmed. Questions on access to Beyfortus™ should be directed to the relevant state or territory government.

• There has been some reporting that the maternal RSV vaccine Abrysvo® is now available on the NIP. Currently, the Abrysvo® vaccine is only available on the private market and if purchased, cannot be reimbursed through the NIP. The maternal RSV vaccine will be available through the NIP in early 2025.
• No RSV vaccines for older Australians are currently funded through the NIP. These are only available on the private market and purchase of these cannot be reimbursed through the NIP.

More information and clinical advice can be viewed on the Australian Immunisation Handbook Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) chapter.

Update to COVID-19 vaccine names

From 16 November 2024, COVID-19 vaccine names will no longer display the manufacturer name within the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR). For example, the ‘Pfizer Comirnaty XBB.1.5’ vaccine will display as ‘Comirnaty XBB.1.5’.

This simplifies the display of COVID-19 vaccines and aligns with how other vaccines are recorded in the AIR.

Vaccination providers may notice this change when they are viewing or recording immunisation encounters in their clinical software (integrated with the AIR) or through the AIR site.

The AIR vaccine codes for COVID-19 vaccines will remain the same. Further information about AIR vaccine codes and vaccine brand names is available on the Services Australia website here.

Introduction of an antenatal indicator

From 8 December 2024, a new bespoke antenatal indictor will be added to the AIR. This will allow vaccination providers to report to the AIR if the person is pregnant at the time of vaccine administration.

In addition, improvements will be made to the ‘vaccine type’ field to simplify the reporting options available for vaccination providers. This includes removing the ‘Private’ and ‘State funded’ options and replacing with ‘Other’.

Maternal immunisation is critical in protecting pregnant women and their babies from serious illness and severe complications from vaccine preventable diseases. The collection of antenatal data is important as it ensures that the AIR contains a complete and reliable dataset to enable the monitoring of immunisation coverage and administration, and the effectiveness and safety of maternal vaccines and vaccination programs.

These enhancements will be implemented in a phased approach. Vaccination providers wanting to know when these changes will be available in their clinical software are encouraged to speak with their software provider.

The Department of Health and Aged Care has announced that the Abrysvo® vaccine for the prevention of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) will be added to the National Immunisation Program (NIP) for pregnant women in 2025. This vaccine is recommended for women between 28-36 weeks of pregnancy and protects their newborn child against RSV.

The Australian Government in partnership with all States and Territories will also support national access to the monoclonal antibody, Beyfortus (Nirsevimab), which provides direct protection to newborns and young children.

More information about the program, including the start date, will be announced as soon as possible.

Immunisation providers cannot claim non-NIP Abrysvo® stock under NIP claiming arrangements in advance of the program launch in 2025.

Further information:

• Minister Mark Butler's announcement | Department of Health and Aged Care
• Information about immunisation in pregnancy | Department of Health and Aged Care
• RSV chapter | Australian Immunisation Handbook
• RSV frequently asked questions and resources (which are currently being updated following this announcement) | NCIRS

Services Australia has published a new resource to support health professionals in reporting infant vaccinations to the AIR.

The factsheet outlines the record-matching process in the AIR and what to do if duplicate AIR records are identified. It provides a step-by-step guide to reporting infant vaccinations on the AIR site as well as guidance on what to do in situations where certain information may be unknown.

Report vaccinations for infants to the AIR

This new release adds to a suite of infographic and eLearning education resources designed to help health professionals interact with the AIR accurately and efficiently.

Childhood immunisation is important to protect our kids against serious diseases.

Adjunct Professor Alison McMillan, the Australian Government' Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer, answers common questions from parents and carers about childhood immunisation in a new video series.

The videos answer questions on:

• what the childhood immunisation schedule is
• how vaccines work to protect children from serious diseases
• vaccine safety
• what to expect when it comes to childhood immunisation
• yearly influenza vaccines.

Watch the videos here

The Immunisation Toolkit for Immunisation Providers ( formerly known as the GP Toolkit), has been updated to include information and guidance to all immunisation providers. The toolkit is available on the NSW Health webpage.

Services Australia has released a new infographic to support reporting vaccinations for infants to the Australian Immunisation Register. The infographic contains information about record matching and duplicate AIR records and using 'baby of' when the first name of a baby is unknown. This infographic titled Report vaccinations for infants to the AIR is now available on the Health Professional Education Resources Services Australia webpage.

From 5 December 2024, Services Australia will no longer support AIR uploads from Clinical V4.2 or earlier.

If you haven’t upgraded to 4.3 yet, time is running out to remain compliant for AIR uploads from 5 December 2024.

Updated: Clinical & Pracsoft version 4.3 upgrade and performance improvement tips