Priority groups
While emphasis will be on targeting these priority groups, vaccination of friends, family, and carers of vulnerable people or anyone who wishes to protect themselves from pandemic influenza is also encouraged.
Australian Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 vaccine priority groups
|
Group |
Definition |
|
Pregnant women |
All pregnant women |
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Those children (initially 10 years and above[1]) and adults with underlying chronic medical conditions including: |
Requires clinical judgement |
|
· Chronic respiratory conditions |
Including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease |
|
· Immuno-suppression |
Including HIV/AIDS infection, use of immunosuppressive drugs |
|
· Cancer |
Only malignant cancers |
|
· Diabetes mellitus |
|
|
· Cardiac disease |
Not including simple hypertension |
|
· Chronic Renal disease |
|
|
· Chronic metabolic diseases |
|
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· Haemoglobinopathies |
|
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· Chronic neurological diseases |
|
|
Individuals with moderate to severe obesity |
BMI > 35 |
|
Health care and community care workers (including volunteers and students) |
Health care worker: a person who has direct contact with patients, either in the community or hospital setting, in both public and private practice settings, focusing on the following: • All staff within or working with Aboriginal Medical Services, general practice, remote or community health clinics, and ambulance services. • All hospital and outpatient staff focusing on those who have direct patient contact. • All staff working in acute care clinics/satellite clinics that provide care, limited to diabetic clinics, alcohol and drug rehabilitation, dialysis and oncology services and perinatal care. Community and residential care workers: Aged care and disability services workers who have direct patient contact while providing community and residential services to vulnerable groups. |
|
Indigenous people and remote and isolated communities with vulnerable people |
Self identification of indigenous. Examples of remote and isolated communities include research communities in the Australian Antarctic Territory and subantarctic islands (vaccination to be provided prior to departure). |
|
Children (initially 10 years and above1) in special schools |
Children (initially 10 years and above1) in schools and institutions that are exclusively special needs based. This does not include mainstream schools with special needs programs. |
|
Parents and Guardians of children aged 0 to 6 months |
Parents and Guardian (primary carers) of children aged 0 to 6 months |
