Travel vaccinations

Vaccination helps keep you safe from certain infections. Vaccines contain tiny amounts of dead or weakened viruses, bacteria, or other substances that help your immune system prepare to fight a future infection. Vaccination is safe, effective and especially important when travelling.

Many infectious diseases are rare in Australia, due to widespread vaccination and other public health measures.

Travelling can increase your chance of catching infectious diseases that are rare in Australia because:

• they are more common in some countries
• travel activities may increase your risk of exposure

Health risks vary from one region to another. Over time new outbreaks may occur and new vaccines may become available.

If it has been a while since your last vaccinations, you may need boosters. That's why it's important that you visit your doctor well before your trip to discuss vaccination.

Your doctor will consider:

• your age
• your vaccination history
• whether you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy
• any past or present illnesses, and your general health
• the season of travel
• your destinations, length of stay and type of travel

It is important to keep up to date with routine vaccinations, including for:

• measles, mumps and rubella
• influenza (flu)
• chickenpox (varicella)
• polio (poliomyelitis)
• diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough (pertussis)

You may also need one or more vaccines for diseases such as:

• hepatitis A and/or hepatitis B
• cholera and/or typhoid
• yellow fever
• tuberculosis (TB)
• meningococcal disease
• Japanese encephalitis
• rabies

There may be other infections unique to countries or regions that are not covered in this list. Your doctor can advise you of any other vaccinations you may need before you travel.

You should see your doctor at least 6 weeks (and preferably 12 weeks) before you leave Australia. This will give your immune system time to respond to any vaccines you need. You may need more than one dose of some vaccines.

You should still check with your doctor if you need any vaccinations for travel. Even if you have been vaccinated before, your immunity to some diseases reduces with time and you may need a booster.

Vaccines are safe and help protect you from certain infections. In Australia, vaccines are approved for use by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (Opens in new tab) after a careful safety testing process. The chance that a vaccine will cause serious harm is extremely small. Being vaccinated is far less risky than the risk of getting a disease if you are not vaccinated.

If you have a weakened immune system from certain diseases or medicines, ask your doctor how this may affect your vaccination schedule. Your doctor will review your general health and ask you about any medicines you take to make sure your vaccination is safe for you.

Rarely, a person may have an allergic reaction to a vaccine. Always let your doctor know if you have any allergies or if you have reacted to a vaccine in the past. This will help them advise which vaccine is suitable for you.

All medicines, including vaccines, may have side effects. In the case of vaccines, side effects are very minor and usually go away within a few days. Common side effects are:

• fever
• redness, pain and tenderness at the site of an injection
• headache

If you are concerned that you have side effects related to a vaccine, see your doctor. 

The cost of vaccinations in Australia depends on the vaccine. Many vaccines are free under the National Immunisation Program (NIP) (Opens in new tab), which you can access if you have Medicare (Opens in new tab).

Some travel vaccines may not be covered by the NIP and you will need to buy them. You can check costs with your doctor. Ask your doctor if there is a fee for the consultation and vaccination service, as this can vary in different clinics.

The Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) (Opens in new tab) is a national register that records all vaccinations given to people in Australia. It helps you to track your immunisations. You can easily check your immunisation history by applying for a statement through your myGov account online (Opens in new tab) or asking your doctor. If you have Medicare, you will automatically be added to the AIR when you receive any vaccines.

For more information on travel health visit the Immunisation for travel page (Opens in new tab) at the Department of Health (Opens in new tab).

The National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS) has a fact sheet for frequently asked questions about travel vaccination (Opens in new tab).

For information about vaccine side effects and safety, visit:

• NPS MedicineWise (Opens in new tab)
• Department of Health (Opens in new tab)

Victoria State Government provides a National Immunisation Program – Adult vaccinations consumer brochure (Opens in new tab) in languages other than English.

The Australian Government has further information about immunisation for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples (Opens in new tab).

To report or discuss possible side effects from vaccination, call Adverse Medicines Events (AME) (Opens in new tab) on 1300 633 424 (1300 MEDICINE).

You can also call the healthdirect helpline on 1800 022 222 (known as NURSE-ON-CALL in Victoria). A registered nurse is available to speak with you 24hours a day, 7 days a week.