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Table. Recommendations for non-live vaccine administration in people who are immunocompromised due to immunosuppressive therapies

Vaccine	Recommendation	Comments
COVID-19	People who are severely immunocompromised due to receiving certain immunosuppressive therapies (such as B-cell depleting biological therapies, high-dose corticosteroids and some conventional immunosuppressants): a 2-dose primary schedule, and a 3rd dose can be considered. An additional dose or ongoing doses every 6–12 months, based on individual risk–benefit assessment (see comments).	Additional doses may be needed based on age, degree of immunocompromise and presence of other risk factors for severe illness from COVID-19.
Diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis- and polio-containing vaccines^a,b	Complete routine primary schedule or catch up for missed doses before starting the immunosuppressive therapies.	–
Haemophilus influenzae type b^a,b	Complete routine primary schedule or catch up for missed doses before starting the immunosuppressive therapies.	–
Hepatitis B^a,b	1 booster dose for seronegative people with specific at risk conditions	–
Human papillomavirus	Aged ≥9 years: a 3-dose primary schedule	Vaccination may also be considered in younger people who are immunocompromised if there is risk of exposure to HPV
Influenza (inactivated)	1 dose annually	Use age-appropriate vaccine option Children aged 6 months to 9 years should receive 2 doses (4 weeks apart) if receiving influenza vaccine for the first time, then 1 dose every year after that.
Japanese encephalitis (inactivated)	Use if indicated	See also Vaccination for international travellers.
Meningococcal	For people with acquired complement deficiency due to complement inhibitor: A complete age-appropriate primary course and booster doses of MenACWY vaccine are recommended. A complete age-appropriate primary course and a single booster dose of MenB vaccine are recommended.	The number of doses depends on the vaccine brand and the person’s age when they start the vaccine course. See Table. Recommendations for MenACWY vaccine for people with a specified medical condition that increases their risk of invasive meningococcal disease and Table. Recommendations for MenB vaccine for people with a specified medical condition that increases their risk of invasive meningococcal disease
Mpox (live, non-replicating)	Use if indicated or seek specialist advice on individual risks and benefits of vaccination	–
Pneumococcal	Aged <12 months: 4 doses of 20vPCV Aged 12 months to <18 years: 1 dose of 20vPCV if received: A primary schedule or catch-up of <4 doses of any PCV 4 doses of 13vPCV or 15vPCV 4 doses of any PCV plus 1 dose of PPV Aged ≥18 years: 1 dose of 21vPCV, if not received previously.	The recommended interval between a dose of PCV and a subsequent dose of PCV is 8 weeks for children and 12 months for adults. The recommended interval between a dose of PPV and any PCV is 12 months for all ages. Children who received either a routine course of 4 doses of 20vPCV or 4 doses of any PCV plus 2 doses of PPV (i.e. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children) have already received the recommended number of doses of pneumococcal vaccine and do not require any additional doses. For children who have not received a full routine infant course of pneumococcal vaccination, see Table. Catch-up schedule for 20vPCV for children aged <5 years who are either Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (including those living in ACT, NSW, Tas or Vic born on or after 1 March 2025), or have a risk condition(s) for pneumococcal disease.
Rabies	Use if indicate	See also Travellers who are immunocompromised.
Immunisation against respiratory syncytial virus^a	Aged 50–59 years: can consider 1 dose of RSV vaccine Arexvy Aged ≥60 years: 1 dose of RSV vaccine Aged <24 months: 1 dose of RSV-specific monoclonal antibody prior to each RSV season if they remain severely immunocompromised	–
Zoster (herpes zoster, recombinant)	Aged ≥18 years if immunocompromised: a 2-dose primary schedule	–
Acronyms used: – = none HPV = human papillomavirus MenACWY = meningococcal ACWY MenB = meningococcal B PCV = pneumococcal conjugate vaccine PPV = pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine RSV = respiratory syncytial virus Footnotes: ^a Recommended but may not be funded under the National Immunisation Program. See disease specific chapter for information on funded groups. ^b May be given as combined vaccines

Page history

Last updated

22 June 2026

Last reviewed

22 June 2026

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