Immunisations

Why immunisation is so important for your whole family

Immunisation is a simple, safe and effective way of protecting your child and yourself against some diseases that can cause serious illnesses and sometimes death. And if your child is protected, they won’t be able to pass the infection on to other people - especially very young babies who haven’t been fully immunised yet.

Some immunisations, like rubella immunisation, also help protect unborn babies.

Recommended immunisations

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) recommends that Australian babies and children are immunised against the following diseases:

Vaccines for these diseases are free, but the chickenpox immunisation depends on the age of your child.

It's also recommended that older children and some adults are immunised against meningococcal C, pneumococcal infections, hepatitis A and influenza.

All Australians can be immunised against these diseases.