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What is Immunisation?
Immunisation protects people against harmful infections before they come into contact with them in the community. Immunisation uses the body’s natural defence mechanism - the immune response - to build resistance to specific diseases. Immunisation helps people stay healthy by preventing serious infections.
All forms of immunisation work in the same way. When a person is vaccinated, their body produces an immune response in the same way their body would after exposure to a disease, but without the person suffering symptoms of the disease. When a person comes in contact with that disease in the future, their immune system will respond fast enough to prevent the person developing the disease.
- Vaccination means having a vaccine - that is actually getting the injection.
- Immunisation means both receiving a vaccine and becoming immune to a disease, as a result of being vaccinated.
Why is Immunisation important?
Many diseases prevented by immunisation are spread directly from person to person, so good food, water and hygiene do not stop infection. Despite excellent hospital care, significant illness, disability and death can still be caused by diseases which can be prevented by immunisation.
Immunisation is the safest and most effective way of giving protection against the disease. After immunisation, you are far less likely to catch the disease if there are cases in the community. The benefit of protection against the disease far outweighs the very small risks of immunisation.
If enough people in the community are immunised, the infection can no longer be spread from person to person and the disease dies out altogether. This is how smallpox was eliminated from the world and polio has disappeared from many countries.
National Immunisation Program Schedule for Children and Adults (PDF 790kb)
Immunisation Services
Council offers the following immunisation services:
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Specific
- School immunisation program
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