Your doctor will be able to advise if any vaccinations are necessary for you.  Some vaccinations are also recommended for individuals in certain risk groups. Some examples are:

• those with underlying medical risks or chronic illnesses
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
• women planning a pregnancy, pregnant women, or those who are becoming a new parent or carer
• people born overseas
• adults of certain ages - e.g. turning 50 or 65 years of age
• adults travelling overseas
• certain lifestyles - e.g. participating in contact sport, recreational drugs
• work environments - e.g. working closely with infants and children, health care workers

This is not a complete list and you should discuss your risk of catching any disease, and any vaccination requirements with your doctor.

Some side effects are a sore arm, fever, and pain, redness and swelling at the injection site. A range of other and more serious side effects may be experienced by individuals and may vary depending on the vaccine given.  If you experience any side-effects, regardless of how minor the symptoms are, make sure you report them to your doctor.

It is worth remembering that the diseases prevented by vaccination can be very severe.  If you have any concerns about the side-effects of vaccines, speak to your doctor.

Vaccines, in healthy adults, do not overwhelm or suppress the immune system.  Your immune system is designed to respond to multiple challenges - and is exposed to many foreign antigens (substances not found naturally in the body) on a daily basis through activities such as eating, drinking and socialising. Vaccines, on the other hand, only contain a small number of substances.

If you have any concerns about your immune system, or whether vaccines are appropriate for you, please speak to your doctor.

Age is a risk factor for influenza (flu), so vaccination is recommended if you're over 65 years of age. A pneumococcal vaccine is also recommended if you're over 65 years of age, even if you're otherwise healthy. These vaccinations are funded under the National Vaccination Program for this age group.

Vaccinations for some vaccine preventable diseases are not routinely recommended on the National Immunisation Program. Instead, they may be recommended for overseas travel - particularly to developing countries. The country and, sometimes, certain regions within a country will determine the vaccinations that are recommended.

It is important to provide your doctor or travel vaccination provider with the specific locations that you will be travelling to - e.g. towns, cities, remote areas - this will help your healthcare provider to ascertain which vaccinations you will need, if any.

For information on diseases that you may be at risk of contracting during overseas travel, refer to the travel section of this website.