Hundreds screened for TB after outbreak in central Australia
Hundreds of people have been screened for TB with free vaccinations offered to at-risk groups in SA as health authorities scramble to contain an outbreak…
Tag: Infectious diseases – Immunisation
ATAGI backs extra COVID-19 booster for high-risk adults
Adults aged 75 or older should receive another COVID-19 booster if more than six months have passed since their last dose, according to new ATAGI…
Fewer patients choosing GP practices for flu vax, official data show
Are GP practices losing their grip on flu vaccinations? Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) data suggest maybe so, with the proportion of flu shots delivered in…
Revamped PBS rules for COVID-19 antiviral and MenB vax now in effect
Patients aged 50-59 with one chronic condition are now eligible for the COVID-19 antiviral nirmatrelvir–ritonavir (Paxlovid) under the PBS. The PBAC recommended the expanded criteria…
MenB vax catch-up program should be permanent: PBAC
The meningococcal B vaccination catch-up program for Indigenous children should become a permanent fixture on the NIP, the PBAC has recommended. Since 2020, the National Immunisation Program (NIP)…
‘Back with a vengeance’: Young kids hit hard by flu season
Doctors are bracing for a rapid surge in paediatric influenza cases, with children under 10 now accounting for a third of flu notifications this year. …
Time to upgrade pneumococcal vax for kids: PBAC
Most infants could soon receive the 15-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine under the National Immunisation Program after the PBAC recommended it be used instead of the…
‘Turning point’: World’s first RSV vax approved
The world’s first respiratory syncytial virus vaccine has been approved by the US medicines regulator for older adults. Approval of GSK’s protein-based vaccine, dubbed Arexvy,…
Recombinant zoster vaccine should go on NIP, says PBAC
The recombinant zoster vaccine Shingrix has received PBAC approval for patients aged 70 and for immunocompromised adults at high risk of zoster infection. Aboriginal and…
Death threats, drugs and cannabidiol: Professor John Skerritt on a decade leading the TGA
Six months without a day off, 24 death threats and a COVID-19 pandemic — the past three years of leading the TGA have been a…
