How to use the Handbook

The Handbook has been written in plain English to support quick access to clinical guidance while maintaining technical accuracy.

You can:

• search the entire Handbook
• browse by disease, vaccine or risk group
• navigate within pages using section links
• access tables, figures and downloadable resources
• share links to specific sections

The website is optimised for desktop, tablet and mobile devices.

The Handbook is organised into the following sections.

About the Handbook

This section contains introductory information about immunisation and the Handbook, including:

• how the Handbook is developed
• how recommendations are made
• how to use the website
• Handbook updates and announcements
• glossary and supporting information

See About the Handbook.

Fundamentals of immunisation

This section explains key concepts involved in immunisation, including:

• types of vaccines
• vaccine safety and effectiveness
• adverse events following immunisation
• passive immunisation

See Fundamentals of immunisation.

Vaccination procedures

This section provides guidance on vaccination practice and procedures, including:

• pre-vaccination screening and consent
• infection prevention and control
• vaccine storage and cold chain requirements
• vaccine administration techniques
• after-care following vaccination
• documentation and reporting requirements

See Vaccination procedures.

Catch-up vaccination

This section provides guidance on catch-up vaccination for people who are overdue or have an incomplete vaccination history

It includes:

• principles of catch-up vaccination
• minimum intervals between doses
• resources to help calculate catch-up schedules

See Catch-up vaccination.

Vaccination for special risk groups

This section provides vaccination recommendations for people with specific risk factors or clinical circumstances, including:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
• international travellers
• migrants, refugees and people seeking asylum
• people who are immunocompromised
• pregnant or breastfeeding women
• preterm infants
• people with bleeding disorders
• people at occupational risk
• other special risk groups

See Vaccination for special risk groups.

Vaccine preventable diseases

This section contains disease-specific chapters for vaccine-preventable diseases in Australia.

Each disease chapter follows a consistent structure, including:

• overview
• recommendations
• vaccines, dosage and administration
• contraindications and precautions
• adverse events
• epidemiology
• vaccine information
• public health management
• references

See Vaccine preventable diseases.

Search the Handbook

Use the search box at the top of the page to search across the entire Handbook.

Search results can be filtered by content type and the autosuggest feature can help identify relevant terms as you type.

Browse by disease or vaccine

Use the main navigation menu to access:

• Diseases: vaccine preventable disease chapters
• Vaccines: vaccine information and filtering tools
• Resources: tables, figures and downloadable materials

The Vaccines section allows you to filter content by:

• disease
• vaccine group
• audience
• administration route
• sponsor

Navigate within a page

Each page includes an “On this page” navigation menu that allows you to move quickly between sections.

As you scroll through a page, the menu updates to show your current section.

You can also use the side navigation menu to move between Handbook sections.

Access tables, figures and downloads

The Resources section contains:

• tables
• figures
• infographics
• downloadable information sheets
• quick reference materials

Some resources are designed for printing or use during clinical practice.

Bookmark content

You can bookmark specific Handbook pages or sections for quick access later.

Use the link icon beside headings to copy a direct link to that section. These links can be saved as browser bookmarks or shared with colleagues.

Print or save content

You can print or save individual Handbook pages as PDF documents using the print function.

Printed or downloaded content may become outdated over time. For the most current recommendations and information, always refer to the online version of the Handbook.

The Handbook recommendations are developed by ATAGI using the best available scientific evidence.

In some cases, recommendations in the Handbook may differ from the information provided in a vaccine’s Product Information (PI).

These differences may occur where:

• new evidence becomes available after the PI is published
• expert clinical advice supports an alternative recommendation
• Australian public health requirements differ from manufacturer information

Where differences exist, ATAGI recommendations in the Handbook should be considered current best practice in Australia.

The Handbook is updated regularly to reflect:

• new evidence
• updated clinical recommendations
• vaccine availability changes
• regulatory and policy changes
• improvements to website content and usability

For a chronological list of recent clinical and content updates, see Updates to the Handbook.

Pages that have been recently added or updated may also display status indicators. Updated pages include a summary of the changes made and the date the changes were published.

Feedback helps improve the Handbook and identify issues with content, functionality and usability.

You can use the available feedback forms to:

• report technical issues
• suggest improvements
• identify unclear, incorrect or outdated content

Report a content issue

To report issues or provide feedback about Handbook content, use the ‘Is there something wrong with this page?’ link available at the bottom of every page.

Provide website or app feedback

To provide feedback about the Handbook website or mobile app, use the Provide feedback form. 

National Immunisation Catch-up Calculator feedback

To provide feedback about the National Immunisation Catch-up Calculator, use the dedicated NICC feedback form.