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The Australian Immunisation Handbook

For more than 200 years, since Edward Jenner first demonstrated that vaccination offered protection against smallpox, the use of vaccines has continued to reduce the burden of many bacterial and viral diseases. As a result of successful vaccination programs, deaths from tetanus, diphtheria, Haemophilus influenzae type b and measles are now extremely rare in Australia.

Vaccination not only protects individuals, but also others in the community, by increasing the general level of immunity and minimising the spread of infection. It is vital that healthcare professionals take every available opportunity to vaccinate children and adults. It is also important that the public be made aware of the proven effectiveness of immunisation to save lives and prevent serious illness. The purpose of The Australian Immunisation Handbook is to provide clinical guidelines for health professionals on the safest and most effective use of vaccines in their practice. These recommendations are developed by the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) and endorsed by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).

The Handbook provides clinical recommendations based on the best scientific evidence available at the time of publication from published and unpublished literature. Further details regarding the Handbook revision procedures are described in Appendix 2. Where specific empiric evidence was unavailable, recommendations were formulated using the best available expert opinion relevant to Australia. The reference lists for all chapters are included in the electronic version of the Handbook which is available via the Immunise Australia website (www.immunise.health.gov.au). The electronic version of the Handbookhas additional information regarding recommendations in the new vaccine chapters, including systematic reviews of the literature.

In some instances, the NHMRC recommendations differ from vaccine product information sheets (PI); these differences are detailed in the relevant vaccine chapters under the heading ‘Variations from product information’. Where a variation exists, the NHMRC recommendation should be considered best practice. The information contained within the Handbook was correct at the time of printing. However, the content of the Handbook is reviewed regularly. The 9th edition of The Australian Immunisation Handbook will remain current unless amended electronically via the Immunise Australia website or until the 10th edition of the Handbook is published.

Last Modified: 12 September 2008
Authorised By: Quality care