As we come to the end of World Immunization Week and the start of the Australia’s flu vaccine rollout, it’s a timely reminder of another very important vaccination program for our high school aged adolescents.
This age group is particularly vulnerable to certain diseases, including pertussis (whooping cough), human papillomavirus (HPV), and meningococcal. They are also at high risk of spreading these to the broader community when infected.
Recent research indicates a drop in adolescent vaccine uptake in recent years, which is a concern. In this month’s blog, we take a closer look at the high school vaccination program and why protecting our teens against these diseases is so important.
Australia’s adolescent vaccine program
Australia’s National Immunisation Program provides a series of free vaccinations for Australian teenagers. These are delivered through school-based immunisation programs and other health services to students in Year 7 and Year 10.
These include:
- a booster vaccine for diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (dTpa), usually offered in year 7;
- the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, usually offered in year 7; and
- a meningococcal ACWY vaccine, offered in year 10.
Parents need to provide consent for their children to receive vaccinations through the school-based immunisation program. In Western Australia, this can be completed online through WA Health or directly through your school.
Diseases covered by the program
Diphtheria
Diphtheria is a serious disease caused by a toxin made by bacteria. It causes a thick grey coating in the back of the nose or throat that makes it hard to breathe or swallow and can be deadly. The dTpa vaccine given to Year 7 students protects against diphtheria.
Tetanus
Tetanus is an acute, often fatal disease, also caused by a toxin produced by bacteria.
It can lead breathing problems and paralysis, and muscle spasms from the disease can be strong enough to break a child’s spine or other bones.
About 20 per cent of people who get tetanus in Australia will die as a result.
The dTpa vaccine given to Year 7 students protects against tetanus.
Pertussis
Pertussis, or whooping cough, is a potentially fatal bacterial infection that attacks the airways causing uncontrollable coughing and difficulty breathing. Whooping cough spreads easily through households and families.
While babies are at greatest risk of severe illness from the disease, it can cause serious illness in older children and adults, particularly for people with asthma.
The dTPa vaccine given to Year 7 students protects against pertussis.
This vaccine is given routinely to infants at 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 18 months and 4 years of age, with a booster given to adolescents aged between 11-13. A booster dose is also highly recommended for pregnant women and those aged 50 and 65 years of age.
HPV
HPV is a viral infection that can cause cancers and genital warts and is sexually transmitted.
The benefits of HPV vaccines are greatest when given before exposure to the virus. This is why the vaccine is given to all young people in early high school, before they become sexually active.
We know that HPV vaccination at this age works. Australia has one of the lowest rates of the disease in the world, thanks to proactive health strategies aimed at eliminating the disease.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare notes that cervical cancer incidence rates have noticeably decreased since the introduction of the HPV adolescent vaccine program. Incidence rates have fallen from 9.3 cases per 100,000 females in 2013 to an estimated 0.5 in 2025. In addition, age-standardised mortality rates for cervical cancer decreased from 3.2 deaths per 100,000 females in 2000 to an estimated 1.8 deaths in 2025.
Healthy young people who receive a single dose before 26 years of age will not need further doses. Anyone who missed the HPV vaccination at 12 to 13 years of age can still catch up for free up to age 26.
Meningococcal
Meningococcal disease is the result of a bacterial infection of the blood and/or membranes that line the spinal cord and brain.
While the disease is relatively uncommon, it can spread rapidly and become life-threatening for those infected.
Those aged 15-24 years are at a high risk, due to their social lifestyle, which generally includes more intimate activities such as kissing and sharing drinks.
The most common strains of meningococcal that are responsible for cases of infection are A, B, C, W, and Y. While the school-based program only protects against the ACWY strains of the disease, private scripts are available for meningococcal B vaccines and are highly recommended.
Some of the highest rates of meningococcal carriage and illness occur among 15- to 19-year olds and the B strain has become increasingly prevalent in recent years.
Vaccination decline
Over the last few years, adolescent vaccination coverage rates have declined. As noted by Australia’s National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS), the proportion of teens who had received their adolescent dose of dTpa in the year they turned 15 decreased from 87.3% in 2021 to 86.9% in 2022 to 85.5% in 2023.
Meanwhile, the proportion who had received one dose of meningococcal ACWY vaccine by age 17 fell from 76.1% in 2021 to 75.9% in 2022 to 72.8% in 2023. Vaccination coverage among Indigenous teenagers dropped by similar amounts.
While this aligns with an overall trend in vaccination rates across all age groups, since the COVID pandemic, it does expose more teenagers and members of the wider community to serious infection from these vaccine-preventable diseases.
Are these vaccines safe?
Yes. Vaccines given in Australia are perfectly safe and you cannot get the virus from having the relevant vaccine.
Like any vaccine, it is possible that some people may experience a reaction; however, the risk of the vaccines causing serious harm is very low.
In Australia, all vaccines must pass strict safety testing before being approved for use by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). We also have a national program – AusVaxSafety – that monitors the type and rate of reactions to all vaccines on the National Immunisation Program.
So if you have a child in Year 7 or 10, make sure you register your consent for vaccination prior to the program being delivered at their school. You can contact your school directly for specific dates and details or speak with your GP for more information.
WA Health also provides a useful guide for parents on the school-based immunisation program:
For more information, visit:
- Australian Government Department of Health, Disability, and Aging – Immunisation for adolescents | Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing
- AusVaxSafety – National Immunisation Program schedule vaccines | AusVaxSafety
- Child and Adolescent Health Service (CAHS) – Child and Adolescent Health Service | CAHS – School based immunisation program
- Department of Health, WA – School-based immunisation program
- Department of Health, WA – Immunisation – Immunisation programs and schedules | Immunisation information
- National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS) – Immunisation schedules | NCIRS