What are the age restrictions for travel immunisations?
The common immunisations required for travel are Hepatitis A and Typhoid but these are not recommended for very young children.
“We wouldn’t routinely recommend Hepatitis A vaccines for children who are under one,” said Dr Nigel Crawford, a paediatrician and the head of immunisation services at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne.
“It is indicated for children who are 12 months and older with generally a two dose schedule six months apart.”
The first Hepatitis B immunisation is usually given before the child leaves the country and the second is given when they return.
“That should then give life long or longer term protection similar to Hepatitis B,” said Dr Crawford.
Similarly, Typhoid immunisation has age restrictions and is usually only considered when children are over two years.
In this five-minute video, Dr Crawford answered the following questions:
- When children travel, what kind of considerations are important with regard to immunisation?
- The common immunisations required are Hepatitis A and Typhoid. Are there any particular concern with different age groups?
