Wodonga Council — Immunisation

Immunisation is a safe and effective way of protecting our community against harmful diseases.

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Wodonga Council provides free immunisation to all eligible members of the public, across all age groups, for vaccinations on the National Immunisation Program Schedule (NIPS).

All vaccinations are by appointment only and can be online at portal.cirv.vic.gov.au and can be made up to 8 weeks in advance – please keep this in mind when planning your appointment.

If you are booking an appointment for your child, select ‘Book a community immunisation session’. You will need to select the relevant immunisation provider (Council area) from the drop down box (for example, if booking a Benalla Council session, please select Benalla Rural City Council from the drop down box).

Mobile immunisation sessions

Our mobile immunisation sessions outside of Wodonga are held at Benalla, Indigo and Strathbogie shires.

These councils contract us to carry out immunisation services for their shire.

2024 immunisation dates

2025 immunisation sessions

What to expect at your immunisation appointment

When clients arrive at their appointment time (previously booked via https://portal.cirv.vic.gov.au/) they will be seen by our immunisation administration staff
Clients will be asked to provide evidence of their Medicare number and their health record/book which will be updated with information about vaccines administered on the day
Clients will be asked to read the pre-immunisation checklist that determines whether you or your child is fit for vaccination. The pre-immunisation checklist is also available in other languages

Age requirements

The minimum age for your baby's first vaccinations is strictly six weeks old (42 days)
Please ensure your child has reached the correct age milestone before presenting for immunisation. For example, six weeks, four months, six months, 12 months, 18 months and four years
Babies must be given the first dose of rotavirus vaccine before the age of 14 weeks and six days. If babies have not had the first dose by 14 weeks and six days they cannot commence the rotavirus vaccination program. The two-dose schedule of rotavirus vaccine must be completed by 24 weeks and six days of age
If the individual to be vaccinated is less than 18 years, signed consent must be given by a parent or legal guardian

An explanation will be provided on the vaccines being given and when the next vaccines are due.

The client’s health record/book will then be taken to the nurses so they can prepare for the vaccinations. Once the nurses are ready they call the client through by name to their vaccination room. Here the nurses will again explain vaccines being given and possible side effects. If more than one vaccine is being given our nurses vaccinate at the same time. The clients health record/book is updates and given back to them with all the details of the vaccination encounter.
Clients are asked to wait 15 minutes post vaccination, in which they can leave if they feel fine.

Some clients may experience minor side effects following immunisation. The Department of Health lists the common side effects of each vaccine.

Vaccination details are uploaded to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) within 48 hours. Clients are then able to view their record on their Mygov account.

What to bring

Parents are asked to bring their child’s health record book
Please bring your Medicare card
If you're vaccinating a child, please bring a toy, book or game to keep your child entertained for the 15 minute post vaccination wait

Vaccines available

Vaccines available on the National Immunisation Program Schedule are free for eligible groups. The NIP provides free routine scheduled vaccines to infants, children, adolescents, and adults who have, or are ‘eligible’ for, a Medicare card.

Wodonga Council immunisation services cannot provide free NIP vaccines to anyone who is not eligible for a Medicare Card. To find out if you're eligible please visit the Services Australia website. If you're not eligible you will need to visit a GP to administer your vaccinations.

Catch-up immunisation

All states and territories will be providing free catch-up NIP vaccines for all children less than 10 years of age on an on-going basis and parents who wish to immunise their children in order to continue to receive family assistance payments will have access to free catch-up vaccines.

All individuals aged less than 20 years are eligible to receive free catch-up vaccinations through the National Immunisation Program (NIP). The catch-up program must start before the person’s 20th birthday. The HPV (Human Papillomavirus) vaccine is available as a free catch-up, up until 25 years of age.

Vaccines available for a fee

Certain vaccines may not be available free of charge for all groups and may be purchased from us.

View the current fees and charges here.

Vaccine payment

Should you wish to purchase any of the vaccines listed above, you can pay at our city offices at 104 Hovell St, Wodonga prior to attending the session (please retain receipt) or via cash/eftpos which is available at the session.

Only vaccines supplied by us can be administered by nurses at our immunisation sessions. We cannot administer vaccines that have been purchased elsewhere, for example, from the chemist. All vaccines administered are reported to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR).

The Victorian Better Health Channel has more information available on immunisation and in-depth information on vaccine preventable diseases and definitions.

Flu vaccine

Optimal protection against influenza occurs within the first three to four months following vaccination.

Timing of vaccination should aim to achieve the highest level of protection during peak influenza season, which is usually from June to September in most parts of Australia.

Children under five years of age will be eligible to receive their flu vaccine with other scheduled routine vaccinations at any community clinic. All clients requiring the flu vaccine will need to book into a flu only clinic (which will run throughout May and June)

Bookings to our flu only sessions will be available through the online portal - portal.cirv.vic.gov.au

PLEASE NOTE: The number of available flu vaccines are currently limited, whilst we do our best to accommodate everybody, your patience is appreciated.

The cost of the flu vaccine is $22 per dose, some people are eligible to receive the vaccine for free on the National Immunisation Program Schedule. These include:

Children aged 6 months to less than 5 years
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander persons aged over 6 months
All persons aged over 65 years
All persons aged over 6 months who have certain medical conditions which increase the risk of influenza disease complications; for example, severe asthma, lung or heart disease, low immunity or diabetes (refer to the Department of Health's website)
Pregnant women (during any stage of pregnancy)

PLEASE NOTE: If the person being vaccinated has a history of anaphylaxis to egg or any vaccine ingredients, they will be unable to receive the vaccine through this program.

Children under nine years receiving their influenza vaccination for the first time require two doses of vaccine, spaced by a minimum of one month.

You can learn more about the vaccine via the Department of Health's website.

If you are not eligibe to recieve the vaccine for free, you will need to pay for the vaccine. Cash and EFTPOS facilities are available at all sessions.

View the current fees and charges here.

Meningococcal B Vaccine

Wodonga Council offers the meningococcal B vaccine and is available free under the National Immunisation Program schedule for the following groups only:

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander infants at 2 months (from 6 weeks), 4 months, 6 months (certain risk conditions) and 12 months of age and as age-appropriate catch up vaccination before they turn 2 years of age
All people with asplenia, hyposplenia, complement deficiency and treatment with eculizumab

If your child does not fall into one of the categories listed above you will need to pay for vaccine and have it administered through your GP.

Wodonga Council do not offer this vaccine as a paid vaccine and cannot administer vaccines that have been purchased elsewhere, for example, from the chemist.

For further information please visit the National Immunisation Program website.

Japanese Encephalitis (JE) vaccine

The Victorian Government has announced that Japanese Encephalitis (JE) vaccine is recommended and available for specific priority groups, including people who may be exposed to the virus where they live or work.

Wodonga Council will be offering Japanese Encephalitis (JE) vaccination at our usual council immunisation sessions (by appointment only) held in the Wodonga, Benalla, Indigo and Strathbogie Shire local government areas AND at special Japanese Encephalitis only Vaccination sessions (see below for more info) to the following priority groups:

Please note that the eligibility criteria for JE vaccination was recently expanded.

In Victoria, JE vaccine is available free-of-charge and recommended for:

High-risk local government areas

People aged two months or older who live or routinely work in any of the following local government areas of Campaspe, Gannawarra, Greater Shepparton, Indigo, Loddon, Mildura, Moira, Swan Hill, Wodonga, Towong, Benalla, Wangaratta and Strathbogie, and:

regularly spend time engaging in outdoor activities that place them as risk of mosquito bites, or
are experiencing homelessness, or
are living in conditions with limited mosquito protection (e.g. tents, caravans, dwellings with no insect screens), or
are engaging in outdoor flood recovery (clean-up) efforts, including repeated professional or volunteer deployments.*

*Vaccination can be administered before arrival in flood affected areas to those from other regions deployed for recovery efforts by arrangement.

The risk of exposure to mosquitoes is low at an elevation of greater than 500 metres. Therefore, JE vaccination is only recommended for individuals who spend significant time outdoors below this elevation in these local government areas.

No restriction for people in local government areas who who work at, reside at, or have a planned non-deferable visit to a:piggery, including but not limited to farm workers and their families (including children aged 2 months and older) living at the piggery, transport workers, veterinarians and others involved in the care of pigs
property that has been confirmed to be infected with JE virus
property suspected to be infected with JE virus
pork abattoir or pork rendering plant.
Personnel who work directly with mosquitoes through their surveillance (field or laboratory based) or control and management, and indirectly through management of vertebrate mosquito-borne disease surveillance systems (e.g., sentinel animals) such as
- environmental health officers and workers (urban and remote)
- entomologists.
All diagnostic and research laboratory workers who may be exposed to the virus, such as persons working with JE virus cultures or mosquitoes with the potential to transmit JE virus, as per the Australian Immunisation Handbook.

The JE vaccination is now available free of charge to those in the above priority groups.

To book an appointment for JE vaccination, please click the following link portal.cirv.vic.gov.au. You will need to select the relevant Immunisation Provider (Council area) from the drop down box (for example, if booking a Benalla Council session, please select Benalla Rural City Council from the drop down box).

When making an appointment booking for JE vaccination, please advise if you fall into one of the following categories, as you may need an alternative vaccine brand which is not curently available through Wodonga Council's immunisation service, or JE vaccination may not be recommended for you

Immunocompromised
Aged less than nine months
Pregnant women (*women should avoid pregnancy for 28 days after vaccination*)
Breastfeeding women should not receive Imojev® because it is not known whether the virus is excreted in breast milk
People who have received immunoglobulin or blood product administration in the past 3 months
Anaphylaxis after a previous dose of any JE vaccine
Anaphylaxis after any component of a JE vaccine
People with an acute febrile illness

JE vaccination is also available through certain pharmacies and GP’s.

Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus is spread to humans through mosquito bites. It may cause a rare and potentially life-threatening infection of the brain.

For further information on Japanese Encephalitis and other mosquito borne diseases and mosquito bite prevention, refer to the Beat the Bite website on the Better Health Channel: betterhealth.vic.gov.au/campaigns/beat-the-bite

The JE vaccination is now available free of charge to those in the above priority groups.

COVID-19 vaccine

Wodonga Council does not offer the COVID-19 vaccine.

For current COVID-19 vaccination information, please call the Victorian Coronavirus Hotline on 1800 675 398, book online or visit the Australian Government COVID-19 Vaccination page at health.gov.au/our-work/covid-19-vaccines

Please note: There no longer needs to be a seven day interval between the COVID-19 vaccination and any other vaccine.

Shingles vaccine

Wodonga Council does NOT offer the Shingles vaccine.

If you would like this vaccine, please speak to your GP.

School immunisation

Wodonga Council visits all secondary schools in Wodonga, Benalla, Indigo, Strathbogie, Murrindindi, Towong Shire and Albury areas.

Students at Victorian and NSW schools are offered:

Year seven students (or age equivalent)

Gardasil®9 – Human Papillomavirus, single dose
Boostrix – Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis (Whooping Cough), single dose

Year 10 students (or age equivalent)

Nimenrix - Meningococcal ACWY, single dose

Prior to the vaccination visit to your child’s school, a link and instructions on how to complete online consent will be emailed to you. For vaccination program dates, please contact your child’s school. For statistical purposes in Victoria, online consent must be completed even if your child is not receiving the vaccine. Parents are asked to contact their school office if they have not received the online link and instructions prior to the school vaccination program commencing.

Any student who missed out on receiving a vaccine through the school vaccination program is invited to phone our immunisation team on 1800 655 360 for further information on how to receive missed vaccinations.

Age equivalent students who do not attend mainstream secondary school may contact us to receive these vaccines free of charge. Please view the attachement below for more information.

For further information on the Victorian school vaccination program, visit either the Department of Health's website for vaccination for adults or the Better Health's Channel secondary school immunisation program page.

For further information on the New South Wales school vaccination program, visit the NSW Health website.

Workplace flu vaccination program

Optimal protection against influenza occurs within the first three to four months following vaccination.

Timing of vaccination should aim to achieve the highest level of protection during peak influenza season, which is usually from June to September in most parts of Australia.

Wodonga Council has a mobile immunisation service which provides onsite influenza (flu) vaccinations to businesses with a minimum or 10 staff (getting vaccinated) per workplace/site across North East Victoria and Southern NSW.

Influenza can significantly impact your workplace, and costs businesses considerable amounts of money each year due to:

Absenteeism, replacement and overtime costs
Interruption of service or product delivery
Lost or reduced sales and productivity

Protect your staff with an annual flu vaccination this autumn, to reduce their chance of becoming ill.

PLEASE NOTE: If any staff have a history of anaphylaxis to egg or any vaccine ingredients, they will be unable to receieve the vaccination through this program.

The cost of the flu vaccine is $24 per person (GST inclusive) for the quadrivalent vaccine.

There may also be additional charges:

Administration Fee (Inc GST)

Workplaces with >10 but <50 staff – no additional charge
Workplaces with 50-99 staff - $110
Workplaces with 100+ staff - $220

Travel charge (Inc GST)

Travel 0-50 kms – no additional charge
Travel 51-100 kms - $93.50
Travel 101-150 kms - $140.25
Travel 151-200 kms -$187
Travel 201-250 kms - $233.75
Travel 251-300 kms - $280.50

Certain groups are eligible to receive free (funded) quadrivalent vaccine from their GP or at a council-run public immunisation session. These groups include people aged 65 years and over, pregnant women, Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people and people with certain medical conditions including severe asthma, lung or heart disease, low immunity or diabetes. If any staff fall into these groups and wish to receive the vaccine through your workplace flu vaccination program, your business will still be invoiced $24 per dose.

If you would like us to visit your workplace to provide this program, please contact Council’s Immunisation Department via email: immunise@wodonga.vic.gov.au

Immunisation history

Australian Immunisation Register (AIR)

AIR Statements contain details of vaccines included in the National Immunisation Program (NIP), school programs (from 2016) and most privately purchased vaccines given to people of all ages. There are a range of ways to obtain an immunisation history statement from AIR.

This can be viewed on the Department of Human Services’ (DHS) website.

Vaccination history request

If you are unable to find details of your vaccination, please contact the provider that administered the vaccine.

If Wodonga Council administered your vaccination and you cannot find it on AIR, please complete the application form [under online applications]

A $20 application fee is applicable.

Request to add overseas vaccination history to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) and supply of AIR vaccination statement

If you or your child have been vaccinated outside of Australia, and you need these to be uploaded to AIR, please complete the application form [under online applications]

PLEASE NOTE: You will need a copy of the translated vaccination records and the original records to complete the above form.

A $40 application fee is applicable.

Current immunisation legislation

No Jab No Pay

Families eligible to receive family assistance payments and have children less than 20 years of age, must now ensure that their children are up to date with immunisations or are on a recognised catch-up schedule. Futher information available here.

No Jab No Play

This legislations applies to Victoria only. Under the 'No Jab, No Play' legislation, before enrolling a child, early childhood services must first obtain evidence that the child is:

Fully immunised for their age;
On a vaccination catch-up program; or,
Unable to be fully immunised for medical reasons.

'Conscientious objection' is not an exemption under the legislation.

These law applies to all early childhood education and care services in Victoria providing:

Long day care;
Kindergarten (including 3 and 4 year old kindergarten);
Occasional care; or
Family day care.

Further information available here.