International Immunisation Week

World Immunisation Week, celebrated in the last week of April, aims to highlight the collective action needed to promote the use of vaccines to protect people of all ages against disease.

The World Health Organization (WHO) works with countries across the globe to raise awareness of the value of vaccines and immunisation to ensure that governments obtain the necessary guidance and technical support to implement high-quality immunisation programs. The ultimate goal of World Immunisation Week is for more people to be protected from vaccine-preventable diseases.

LiverWELL aims to raise awareness of the Hepatitis B vaccine this International Immunisation Week, and encourages Australians, young and old, to receive their doses if they are not already up to date.

Vaccination for hepatitis B is available via your GP.  Newborns, adolescents (up to 19 years of age), Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people (ATSI), people with HIV, people with hepatitis C, people who inject drugs, people in custodial settings, and household contacts of someone with hepatitis B are all able to get the hepatitis B vaccine for free in Victoria.

The vaccination is 3 injections over 6 months and it provides lifelong protection from the virus for most people who receive it. You can ask your GP for a test to see if you currently have immunity to hepatitis B through vaccination.

People working in jobs where the risk of exposure is high (such as health care professionals and prison officers) may be able to access free vaccination through their employer.