Childhood vaccinations
Paddington Medical Centre provides government funded vaccinations, free to Australian patients under the National Immunisation Program
Immunisation is important to protect children from serious and often life-threatening diseases. It not only helps protect individual children but also protects the broader community by minimising the spread of disease.
Your doctor may recommend additional vaccines which may not be covered by the government.
Catch-up vaccination schedules
If your child has missed one of their scheduled vaccinations, you should be able to get them up to date again through a catch-up schedule (other than rotavirus as explained above). Talk to your GP or immunisation provider to find out if your child needs any catch-up vaccinations, to plan a schedule and update your child’s records if need be.
What if your child is unwell?
Children who are slightly unwell can still receive their vaccination. If your child has a fever over 38.5 Celsius on the day, they should not be immunised. Valid reasons not to immunise children are rare, but if you are unsure, ask your doctor.
If your child has ever had an allergic reaction or is undergoing a treatment that suppresses the immune system such as chemotherapy, check with your doctor before immunisation.
Additional Information
Childcare Requirements
From 1 January 2016, new laws may affect your childcare options, and your childcare payments. If you always vaccinate your child on time, you provide them with the best protection possible and don’t have to worry.
You may be asked to show an:
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Immunisation history statement when first enrolling your child
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Updated immunisation history statement when your child passes the 2, 4, 6, 12, 18 months and 4 years vaccination milestones.
In Queensland, if your child is not up to date, the service can choose to:
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Refuse enrolment
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Cancel enrolment or refuse attendance
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Conditionally accept enrolment or attendance.
You may also miss out on childcare payments from the Australian Government
Family Assistance Payments
Some family assistance payments are directly linked to children being fully vaccinated at key milestones.
They are the Child Care Benefit, Child Care Rebate and Family Tax Benefit Part A Supplement. To be eligible to receive these payments, your child must be fully vaccinated at each key milestone or be on a recognised immunisation catch-up schedule or have an approved exemption.
Family assistance payments are the responsibility of the Commonwealth Government and not the Queensland Government.
For information on how family assistance payments might be affected by your child’s immunisation status visit the Department of Human Services.