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Hospital Circular 07/12
Date Issued: March 2012
Distribution: Public and Private Hospitals
Subject: 2012 Seasonal influenza vaccine for eligible patients
Purpose: Patients who are eligible for free seasonal influenza vaccine can either be administered the free vaccine in hospital or asked to remind their GP to administer the free vaccine after discharge.
The Department of Health supplies free seasonal influenza vaccine to all hospitals for patients who may have a poor outcome from influenza due to their medical risk factors or Indigenous status.
Annual seasonal influenza vaccine is strongly recommended and provided free for the following eligible people:
- 65 years of age and over
- Pregnant women at any stage of pregnancy
- Indigenous people 15 years of age and over
- Residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities
- Any person six months of age and over with a condition predisposing to severe influenza illness that requires regular medical follow-up or hospitalisation such as: cardiac disease; chronic respiratory disease; kidney disease, diabetes, impaired immunity and chronic neuromuscular disease
- Other chronic illnesses requiring regular medical follow-up or hospitalisation, for example severe asthmatics that require frequent hospital visits
We strongly recommend that hospitals take the opportunity to immunise at risk patients rather than rely on them receiving it from another immunisation provider.
Influenza vaccine for eligible patients may be ordered from the Department of Health Immunisation Section by using the government funded vaccine order form located at:
http://www.health.vic.gov.au/immunisation/provider-forms/forms.
If you require further immunisation information, please contact the Immunisation Section on either telephone 1300 882 008 or email immunisation@health.vic.gov.au
Professor C W Brook PSM
Executive Director
Wellbeing, Integrated Care and Ageing
