09 Feb 2023
Dear Parents/Carers
Keeping your child up to date with routine vaccinations helps to protect them from serious preventable diseases. As part of the NSW School Vaccination Program, students in Year 7 are offered free vaccines to protect them from diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (dTpa) and human papillomavirus (HPV). In Year 10, students are offered the free meningococcal ACWY vaccine.
Your consent is required for your child to receive routine vaccinations at school. If your child is in Year 7 or Year 10 this year, you can now provide this consent online.
This year’s school vaccination clinics will be held on Thursday 2nd March – Term 1: Week 6 (Year 7) and Thursday 25th May – Term 2: Week 5 (Year 10). You can provide consent for your child’s vaccinations via ServiceNSW using this link.
From February 2023, only one dose of HPV vaccination is required to be fully vaccinated. This change has been endorsed by the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) based on the latest evidence showing that one dose provides the same level of protection against HPV as two doses.
If you have already consented to your child receiving two doses of HPV vaccine, they will only receive one dose.
If your child is in Year 8 or above and previously missed their second dose of HPV vaccine, they are now considered fully vaccinated and do not require a second dose.
A small number of students who are immunocompromised are still recommended to receive a three-dose course of HPV vaccine. If your child is immunocompromised, it is important to discuss their immunisation needs with their GP.
If your child misses a school vaccination clinic, the school immunisation nurses will try to catch them up at their next visit. Alternately, you can speak to a GP or pharmacist about catching up on vaccination.
For more information on school vaccination visit: health.nsw.gov.au/schoolvaccination or if you have any questions, please contact South Eastern Sydney Public Health Unit on 9382 8333 (Ext 2).