Immunisations

From 1 April 2018, all school principals are required to request an immunisation certificate at enrolment. While students can still be enrolled if an approved immunisation certificate is not provided, these children will be considered unimmunised and may be excluded from school if there is an outbreak of a vaccine-preventable disease at the school or if they come into contact with a person with a vaccine-preventable disease, even if there is no outbreak at the school.

Parents are encouraged to ensure their children are up to date with immunisations and to provide an immunisation certificate from the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) at enrolment, either:

• an AIR Immunisation History Statement, or
• an AIR Immunisation History form

These changes have been made to collect accurate information about children’s immunisation status and to help manage disease outbreaks in schools and the community. Data show that there has been an increase in some vaccine-preventable disease notifications in older children compared to younger children. Also, it is now easy for parents to access the immunisation records of older children on the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) which holds immunisation records given at any age.

The AIR records the immunisations given to children and sends parents an AIR Immunisation History Statement after their child has turned four years of age. This can be used for enrolment. Parents can request a copy of their child’s AIR Immunisation History Statement at any time (up to their child being 14 years of age):

• Using their Medicare online account through myGov
• Using the Medicare Express Plus App
• calling the AIR General Enquiries Line on 1800 653 809

Children aged 14 years and over can request their own Immunisation History Statement from the AIR by using or creating their own Medical online account through myGov

Children who cannot be immunised for medical reasons, or who have natural immunity, will still be recorded as “up to date” on their AIR Immunisation History Statement if an AIR Medical Exemption Form has been completed by a GP/medical specialist and sent to the AIR. The medical exemption or natural immunity will be listed near the bottom of the Statement.

Where vaccines have been given overseas and are not recorded on the AIR, the child’s overseas records should be checked by a GP/nurse who will then transfer the information to the AIR. Parents should then request an updated AIR Immunisation History Statement to give to the school.

For children who have not had all the recommended immunisations by four years of age, their AIR Immunisation History Statement will list the missing immunisations and the due dates at the bottom of the page. These children should be started on an approved catch-up schedule and an AIR Immunisation History Form completed by the GP/nurse and sent to the AIR. Parents can then provide a copy of the AIR Immunisation History Form to the College at enrolment.

Please be aware that students who have not had all the recommended immunisations for their age, or where no immunisation certificate has been provided, may need to stay at home during a disease outbreak. This is to protect the child and stop the spread of disease.

Regular immunisation clinics are run by the Department of Health. Staff conduct an annual immunisation program for influenza.