Text OnlyPrint View

Immunisation

On this page:

 

Childhood vaccinesChildhood immunisation schedule (Adobe PDF document - 156KB)

The Department's Community Care & Health Centres, Non-Government Health Centres and some General Practitioners* provide the vaccines included on the National Immunisation Program free to children in the Northern Territory.

[*Please note that some General Practitioners may charge a consultation fee. For a list of GPs who offer childhood vaccines please contact 89821000 for advice.]

School immunisation programs

Some vaccines are offered to students attending schools throughout the NT. A consent form is issued prior to the event and vaccinations are given by nurses attending the school on organised days. If a child does not attend school, the vaccine can be administered at an age appropriate time at an alternative health facility.

  • Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine
    Girls in Year 7 (12 years old) are offered the HPV vaccine.  This vaccine aims to protect women against cervical cancer.
  • Diphtheria tetanus and whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine
    All students in Year 8 (13 years old) are offered this vaccine. An increase in the number of young adolescents with whooping cough has seen the need for the introduction of a booster dose of this vaccine.
  • Chickenpox (varicella) vaccine
    All students in Year 8 ( 13 years old) who have never had chicken pox vaccination or disease are offered this vaccine.
  • Pneumococcal vaccine
    Indigenous students in Year 10 (15 years old) are offered this vaccine. Pneumococcal disease is more common in Indigenous Australians.

Adult vaccination programs

Make sure you are protected against the Flu: Influenza and its prevention (Adobe PDF document - 1017KB)

Departmental Community Care/Health Centres, Non-Government Health Centres and some General Practitioners* provide some vaccines free to adults in the Northern Territory. View the current NT Adult Immunisation schedule (Adobe PDF document - 173KB).

These include:

  • Influenza:
    Download factsheet for more information:  Influenza and its prevention (Adobe PDF document - 1017KB)
  • All people 65 years and over
  • All Indigenous adults 50 years and over
  • Indigenous people aged 15-49 years with chronic medical conditions
  • Pneumococcal vaccine:
    Download factsheet for more information: Pneumococcal Disease (Adobe PDF document - 59KB)
  • All non-Indigenous people 65 years and over
  • All Indigenous people 15 years and over
  • MMR
    People born after 1960 who have not been vaccinated
  • Diptheria, Tetanus
    At age 50 years or after a tetanus prone injury
  • HPV
    HPV is given as a 3 dose course over 6 months.  A catch-up program for all 13-26 year old females finishes on 30 June 
           2009. To be eligible for free vaccine all females in the above age group must have started the course with their first 
           dose of vaccine given on or before 30 June 2009 and completed all 3 doses by 31 Dec 2009

Recommended free vaccines:

  • Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) vaccine for all adults born after 1960
  • Adult diphtheria tetanus (ADT) vaccine at age 50 and when required for a tetanus prone wound

Many other vaccines can be recommended for people working in some occupations and people with medical conditions/diseases.
These vaccines are often not provided free to the patient and require a prescription to be issued from a general practitioner and the vaccine purchased privately.