Vaccine-preventable diseases in Australia

Vaccination is a very successful and cost-effective population health intervention worldwide. It is a safe and effective way to protect individuals from harmful infections, and to prevent the spread of these diseases in the community. In Australia, widespread vaccination began in 1932. Major immunisation campaigns carried out in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s led to significant reductions in the number of cases and deaths from vaccine preventable diseases (VPDs).

Vaccines work by training the immune system to recognise and fight off invading organisms. Although often used interchangeably, the terms vaccination and immunisation have distinct meanings. Vaccination refers to the process of receiving a vaccine, while immunisation refers to becoming immune to a disease as a result of being vaccinated.

The Australian Government provides free vaccines through the National Immunisation Program (NIP) to eligible people, including young children, older Australians, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) people, pregnant women, and others who are at greater risk of serious harm from VPDs. The NIP provides vaccines against a number of diseases, including measles, mumps, whooping cough, influenza and HPV.

First Nations people experience higher rates of certain VPDs and may face unique barriers to accessing healthcare. The NIP includes specific initiatives to improve access and outcomes for First Nations people. A dedicated factsheet presents recent data on the impact of VPDs in First Nations people.

Vaccination rates among Australian children

The NIP schedule outlines the immunisations children should receive and the recommended ages for vaccination. To achieve the greatest benefit from immunisation, a large proportion of the community must be fully immunised. This helps to protect vulnerable groups in the community, such as those who are too young or too sick to be vaccinated. Table 1 shows the level of vaccine coverage in 2023 among young children. Nationally, 93.2% of 1-year-olds, 91.2% of 2-year-olds and 93.9% of 5-year-olds were fully immunised in 2023.

* See online supplementary table for information on ‘fully immunised’.

Sources: Australian Immunisation Register

Notifications, hospitalisations and deaths

Collecting information about the number of notifications, hospitalisations and deaths attributed to VPDs can help to reveal the overall impact of these conditions in Australia. Table 2 shows information for 18 VPDs which have funded vaccination programs. Data on cases of human papillomavirus (HPV) are not available; the HPV fact sheet in this series presents data relating to cervical cancer.

(a) Notifications data included for three years to show most recent data (2022-2024). Most recent data (2022) for hospitalisations and deaths are also included.

Sources: AIHW analysis of NNDSS data extracted on 30 January 2025; AIHW analysis of National Hospital Morbidity Database; AIHW analysis of National Mortality Database.

The number of notifications for many VPDs was low in 2022, potentially due to public health measures put in place to control the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, people may have been less likely than usual to seek medical care, leading to underdiagnosis and underreporting. Following the relaxation of public health restrictions, the number of notifications has increased again since 2023.

Several VPDs, such as measles, rubella and diphtheria, are now rare in Australia as a result of Australia’s high immunisation rates. It is important to maintain high immunisation rates to ensure that these diseases cannot spread through the community.

While immunisation is important for everyone, its greatest impact is in reducing hospitalisations and deaths, particularly in the most vulnerable (the very young and very old).