Immunisation Muswellbrook | NIP & RSV Vaccines

What to know

Bulk billedYour appointment is bulk billed with a valid Medicare card, and NIP vaccines are funded, so a standard immunisation visit costs you nothing.

We check what you are dueYou do not need to work it out. We look up the Australian Immunisation Register at your appointment.

Every dose is recordedStraight onto the register, which is what childcare, school and Centrelink checks read from.

Babies and childrenBirth to four years, then annual influenza to five.

Teenagers and adultsSchool doses, catch-up to 25, and the 65-plus items.

RSVFor babies through pregnancy, and funded for adults 75 and over.

What is covered,and when it is due.

These are the vaccines funded by the Commonwealth for eligible people. They are listed by the illness they protect against rather than by product name. Your GP or nurse will confirm which apply to you on the day.

Babies and young children

Birth

Hepatitis BIdeally within 24 hours of birth

6 weeks – 2 months

DiphtheriaTetanusWhooping coughHepatitis BPolioHibRotavirusPneumococcalThe first rotavirus dose must be given by 14 weeks. Meningococcal B is also funded at this visit for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander babies.

4 months

DiphtheriaTetanusWhooping coughHepatitis BPolioHibRotavirusPneumococcalThe second rotavirus dose must be given by 24 weeks.

6 months

DiphtheriaTetanusWhooping coughHepatitis BPolioHibAn extra pneumococcal dose is funded here for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander babies and for babies with certain medical conditions. Influenza starts from 6 months.

12 months

Meningococcal ACWYMeaslesMumpsRubellaPneumococcalMeningococcal B for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

18 months

HibMeaslesMumpsRubellaChickenpoxDiphtheriaTetanusWhooping cough

4 years

DiphtheriaTetanusWhooping coughPolioDue before school. Worth booking early in the year rather than in the January rush.

6 months – 5 years

Influenza, every yearTwo doses at least four weeks apart in the first year of having it. In NSW a needle-free nasal spray is available for children from 2 years.

Hepatitis A is different in NSWThe funded childhood hepatitis A doses at 18 months and 4 years apply to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in WA, the NT, SA and Queensland — not NSW. In NSW it is funded only after an exposure.

Teenagers and young adults

Year 7 · about 12–13

HPVDiphtheriaTetanusWhooping coughHPV is a single dose. Given through the NSW school program, and we can catch up anyone who missed it.

Year 10 · about 14–16

Meningococcal ACWYCatch-up available from 15 if the school dose was missed.

Up to and including 25

HPV catch-upFunded HPV catch-up runs to age 25 — the only NIP vaccine funded that late.

Under 20

Any missed childhood vaccineFunded catch-up for anyone under 20, and for refugees and humanitarian entrants of any age.

Adults, pregnancy and older age

Every pregnancy

Whooping coughInfluenzaRSVWhooping cough ideally 20–32 weeks; influenza at any stage; RSV from 28 weeks. See the RSV section below.

18 and over

InfluenzaPneumococcalShinglesIf you have a medical condition that puts you at higher risk. Shingles is funded from 18 if you are significantly immunocompromised.

25 and over

PneumococcalAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults.

50 and over

ShinglesAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults. Two doses.

60 and over

RSVAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults. Single dose.

65 and over

Influenza, every yearShinglesPneumococcalShingles is two doses. Adult pneumococcal eligibility moved from 70 to 65 on 1 July 2026.

75 and over

RSVFunded on the NIP since 15 May 2026. Single dose.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients

Several vaccines are funded earlier, or funded when they are not funded for others, because the burden of these illnesses is higher and starts younger. If you identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, telling us means we can offer you everything you are entitled to — and you are never obliged to answer.

Meningococcal B at 2, 4 and 12 months, which is not funded for other children
An additional pneumococcal dose at 6 months
Funded influenza every year from 6 months of age, at any age
Pneumococcal from 25 instead of 65
Shingles from 50 instead of 65
RSV from 60 instead of 75

Higher risk from a medical condition?

Additional vaccines are funded for people with certain conditions — no spleen or a poorly functioning spleen, significant immunosuppression, chronic heart, lung, liver or kidney disease, diabetes, and others. Meningococcal ACWY and B, pneumococcal, influenza and shingles are the main ones. Ask at your appointment which apply to you.

What if I have no records at all?

Common, and not a problem. We check the Australian Immunisation Register, and where there is genuinely no record we can start a catch-up schedule from scratch. Blood tests are occasionally useful but usually not necessary.

Vaccines before travel

Different list, different timing, and mostly not funded. Start six weeks before you fly. See travel health.

COVID-19 arrangements are changing

From 1 October 2026 COVID-19 vaccination moves onto the National Immunisation Program, with funding focused on older adults and people who are significantly immunocompromised. Because the detail was still being finalised when this page was last reviewed, please ring us on (02) 6530 7404 for current eligibility rather than relying on this page.

RSV protection,for both ends of life.

RSV is a common respiratory virus. In most people it is an ordinary cold. In babies under six months and in adults over 75 it is one of the more common reasons for hospital admission, and in the Upper Hunter it runs through the winter — roughly April to September, usually peaking before influenza does.

Protection now comes at three points in life, and each works differently. All three are funded, but by different programs.

01 During pregnancy

A dose from 28 weeks

A single RSV vaccination during pregnancy passes protection to your baby before birth. It is funded on the National Immunisation Program, in every pregnancy, and is given from 28 weeks — ideally by the end of 36 weeks, but later is better than not at all.

It protects your baby for up to six months from birth, which covers the period when RSV is most dangerous. It can be given at the same visit as your whooping cough and influenza vaccinations.

Bulk billed · NIP, every pregnancy, from 28 weeks

02 Babies

An immunisation after birth

Where a baby is not covered by a dose given in pregnancy, protection can be given directly to the baby instead. This is an antibody injection rather than a vaccine — it provides protection immediately rather than prompting the baby’s own immune system.

It is funded by NSW Health through the NSW RSV Prevention Program, which runs year-round rather than seasonally, for babies up to 6 months of age who did not get protection through pregnancy, who were born within two weeks of the mother’s dose, or who have a medical condition that raises their risk. Some children up to 2 years with risk conditions are covered for a second season.

It is usually given in hospital before you go home. If it was missed, we can give it here.

No cost to you · NSW program, year-round, to 6 months · no Medicare number needed

03 Older adults

A single dose from 75

RSV vaccination became funded on the National Immunisation Program on 15 May 2026 for everyone aged 75 and over, and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults aged 60 and over. It is a single dose — there is no booster at this stage.

If you are between 60 and 74 and not Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, it is not funded. It may still be reasonable for you, particularly with heart or lung disease, and it can be purchased privately. Ask us and we will explain the cost and whether it is worth it in your case.

Bulk billed from 75 · and from 60 for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults

How do I know if my baby is covered?

If you had the RSV vaccination from 28 weeks and your baby was born more than two weeks later, your baby is covered. If not, or if you are not sure, ring us and we will check and arrange it.

Can I have RSV with my flu vaccine?

Yes. RSV can be given at the same visit as influenza, COVID-19, pneumococcal and shingles vaccinations. Doing them together saves a trip.

What does RSV look like in a baby?

It starts like a cold, then the breathing becomes the problem — fast or laboured breathing, sucking in at the ribs, a persistent wet cough, wheeze, and poor feeding. Any baby who is working hard to breathe, feeding poorly, or unusually drowsy needs to be seen the same day. Call 000 if breathing is severely difficult or the lips look blue.

Is one dose enough for older adults?

Currently yes. Only a single dose is recommended and no further dose is advised, including for people who bought a dose privately before the program began.

The season is winter, the booking is nowRSV runs roughly April to September in this part of NSW. If you are pregnant, or 75 and over, it is worth sorting before the season rather than during it.

Ask about RSV · (02) 6530 7404 →

Recommended and fundedare not the same thing.

This causes more confusion than anything else in immunisation. A vaccine can be recommended for you by the national guidelines and still not be paid for by the government. Both facts can be true at once, and neither is a mistake.

Funded, but not through the NIP

NSW Health funds several vaccines outside the national program, for specific groups:

Hepatitis B — for a number of priority groups, including Aboriginal people, household and sexual contacts of cases, and people who are immunosuppressed
Measles, mumps and rubella — for anyone born in or after 1966 without two documented doses
Japanese encephalitis — for people living or working in listed high-risk local government areas, piggery and pork abattoir workers, and people travelling to those areas for outdoor recreation. Eligibility is set by LGA and changes, so ask us whether you qualify rather than assuming
RSV for babies — as above
Nasal spray influenza — needle-free, for children and teenagers in NSW

Privately purchased

These are not funded and you would pay for the vaccine. We will always tell you the cost before ordering anything in.

Shingles between 50 and 64 — recommended from 50, funded from 65
RSV between 60 and 74 — unless you are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
Meningococcal B for teenagers and adults outside the funded groups — recommended, commonly requested, not funded
Q fever — relevant to abattoir, livestock, shearing and veterinary work in this district. It needs skin testing and a blood test first, so allow time
Rabies before travel or for at-risk work
Travel vaccines generally — typhoid, cholera, yellow fever and hepatitis for travel purposes

Cost should not be the reason you go withoutIf a recommended vaccine is not funded and the price is the obstacle, say so. Sometimes there is an eligibility route nobody has checked, and sometimes there is a reasonable alternative.

What to expectfor the next day or two.

1Wait 15 minutesWe ask you to stay in the waiting room briefly afterwards. Serious reactions are rare, and this is when they would show.At the practice

2A sore arm is normalRedness, swelling and tenderness at the site for a day or two. A cold pack helps. Keep using the arm.First 48 hours

3Feeling off is normalMild fever, tiredness, headache or aches, particularly in children and after some adult vaccines. Fluids and rest.First 48 hours

4When to ring usA fever above 38.5°C lasting more than 48 hours, spreading redness, or a child who is unusually drowsy or inconsolable. Severe breathing difficulty or swelling of the face or throat is 000.Any time

Immunisationquestions, answered.

Is there anything to pay?

No, not for a standard immunisation visit. The vaccine is funded if you are eligible, and the appointment is bulk billed with a valid Medicare card.

I have fallen behind — is catch-up still covered?

Yes. Funded catch-up is available for everyone under 20, and for refugees and humanitarian entrants of any age. Bring whatever records you have; if you have none we can look up the Australian Immunisation Register.

Do I need to know which vaccines I am due?

No. Book an appointment and we will check the register and tell you. That is easier and more reliable than working it out yourself.

Is the RSV vaccine covered for older adults?

From 15 May 2026 it is funded on the NIP for everyone aged 75 and over, and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults aged 60 and over. It is a single dose. Adults aged 60 to 74 are not funded and would need to purchase it privately.

I am pregnant — what do I need?

Three things are funded in every pregnancy: whooping cough, influenza at any stage, and RSV from 28 weeks. The RSV dose is what protects your baby in its first six months.

Why is shingles funded at 65 but not at 55?

Because recommendation and funding are different things. It is recommended from 50 but only funded from 65, or from 50 for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults, or from 18 if you are immunocompromised. Between those ages you can buy it privately.

Which vaccines are not funded?

Shingles for most people aged 50 to 64, RSV for adults 60 to 74, meningococcal B outside the funded groups, Q fever, rabies for travel or work, and travel vaccines generally. We will always tell you the cost before we order anything in.

Do you record vaccines on the register?

Yes. Every dose we give is recorded on the Australian Immunisation Register, which is what childcare, school and Centrelink checks read from.

Can I have several vaccines at once?

Usually yes, and it is often preferable to coming back repeatedly. Your GP or nurse will tell you which can be given together at your appointment.

General information only This page is general health information for anyone who finds it useful, and describes government immunisation programs rather than any particular vaccine product. Eligibility rules and program dates change — the funding described here was current at the review date below, and reception can confirm what applies to you today. It is not advice about your own situation and it does not replace a consultation. If you are worried about a symptom, book an appointment or call (02) 6530 7404. In an emergency, call 000.

Relatedservices.

Children’s healthChecks, development and the everyday illnesses Antenatal careShared care through pregnancy Travel healthDestination advice and travel vaccines Older adultsHealth assessments and the 65-plus vaccines

Everyday care

Family health

Procedures & tests

Ongoing & preventive

Immunisation,bulk billed and timed for a reason.