To help protect our patients, staff, and the wider community, we have specified 6 vaccine preventable diseases.

If you're applying for job with vaccination requirements, you may need to give us evidence that you’re vaccinated against or aren’t susceptible to the specified vaccine preventable diseases (VPDs).

There may be more vaccine requirements for roles based in particular areas or populations.

The role description will identify which, if any, of the vaccinations you need to provide evidence for.

Vaccine preventable diseases

Disease

Type of role

Additional information

Hepatitis B

Roles that have direct contact with patients, or in the course of their work, may be exposed to blood/body fluids or contaminated sharps.

Vaccination against Hepatitis B has been a condition of employment in these types of roles since 1997.

Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR)

Pertussis (whooping cough)

Varicella (chickenpox)

Roles that have contact and allow acquisition and/or transmission of measles, mumps, rubella, varicella or pertussis. Ie roles where:

  • work requires face to face contact with patients
  • normal work location is in a clinical area such as a ward, emergency department or outpatient clinic
  • work frequently requires you to attend clinical areas.

Additional pertussis requirements

If pertussis vaccination requirements apply to your role, you're required to have booster vaccinations every 10 years to remain vaccinated.

You must submit evidence of your booster vaccinations as a condition of continued engagement.

You may need to show you've been vaccinated against:

  • Hepatitis B
  • Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Pertussis and Varicella
  • all 6 diseases.

Other vaccine preventable disease vaccine mandates

Some roles may have particular exposure risks.

If you're applying for one of these roles, you may also be required to be vaccinated against any or all of the following diseases.

Disease

Type of role

Additional information

Hepatitis A

Tuberculosis

Japanese encephalitis (JE)

Some roles may have particular exposure risks. For example:

  • remote areas (eg outer Torres Strait Islands for more than 30 days during the wet season)
  • on specific wards, or laboratories
  • working with high risk groups.

These requirements will be based on risk assessments.

If in doubt contact the recruitment manager listed on the role description.

More information

If you'd like more information or have any questions you can contact:

You can also read our Health employment directive: vaccine preventable diseases (VPD) requirements [PDF 290 KB]

If you're a contractor, student or volunteer, you can find more information in our:

Clinical guidelines

Guideline for the vaccination of healthcare workers [PDF 759.34 KB]

Recommended vaccination - seasonal influenza

On the basis of documented transmission in health care facilities, health care workers (including students) are considered to be at significant risk for acquiring or transmitting seasonal influenza.

While not a condition of employment, vaccination against influenza is recommended in the Australian Immunisation Handbook. Talk to your employer, they may organise Influenza vaccination programs for all staff.

Last updated: January 2024