Vaccinations for adolescents with medical risk conditions

Key facts

  • Some adolescents have health and medical conditions that put them at higher risk for vaccine preventable diseases. These conditions are called medical risk conditions.

  • Under the National Immunisation Program, additional free vaccines and vaccine doses are available for adolescents who have certain medical risk conditions. You can ask your doctor, nurse or community health worker if these vaccines are recommended for your adolescent.

  • Sometimes adolescents with certain medical risk conditions need to be vaccinated at different times compared to adolescents without these conditions.

Last updated on 21 August 2025.

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What health and medical conditions make adolescents at higher risk for vaccine-preventable diseases?

Some medical conditions make adolescents at higher risk of, or medically at-risk for, serious outcomes from vaccine preventable diseases. These conditions include (but are not limited to):

  • not having a spleen (functional or anatomical asplenia)
  • chronic lung, kidney and/or heart disease
  • cancer (especially when on chemotherapy or radiotherapy treatment)
  • various autoimmune diseases (e.g. systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis)
  • immune deficiency conditions (including in people who have had organ and stem cell transplants and people living with human immunodeficiency virus [HIV])
  • various lung conditions that affect breathing (e.g. bronchiectasis, cystic fibrosis)
  • severe asthma (requiring frequent hospital visits or the use of multiple medications).
What additional free vaccines are recommended for medically at-risk adolescents?

If your adolescent has a medical risk condition, they may be eligible to receive additional free vaccines to protect them from the following diseases:

They may also qualify for additional doses of their routine school vaccines. This may include:

Speak with your doctor, nurse or community health worker to ask if your medically at-risk adolescent needs extra vaccines or additional vaccine doses.

What diseases do these additional vaccines protect my medically at-risk adolescent from?

Medically at-risk adolescents are eligible for extra vaccines or additional vaccine doses. These are offered for free through the National Immunisation Program and protect your adolescent from the following diseases.

Influenza (commonly known as ‘the flu’) is a viral infection. Illness usually begins with a sudden onset of symptoms that can include: 

  • high temperature (fever)
  • shivering/shaking (chills)
  • headache
  • cough
  • sore throat
  • extreme tiredness and lack of energy (fatigue). 

If it progresses, flu can also cause your body to lose water (dehydration) and lead to other complications such as lung infections (pneumonia) or swollen airways (bronchitis). More serious complications can also happen, including: 

  • secondary bacterial infections
  • heart, blood and nervous system (neurological) abnormalities such as swelling (inflammation) of the brain (encephalitis). 

Learn more about influenza and influenza vaccination

Meningococcal germs (bacteria) live harmlessly in the mucous found in a person’s nose and throat. When people cough or kiss, the germs can spread between them. Rarely, they make their way into the body and cause meningococcal disease, which can be fatal.

Meningococcal germs can cause swelling (inflammation) around the brain (meningitis) and blood poisoning (bacteria in the blood – also called septicaemia).

Adolescents who survive meningococcal disease can have brain damage or other long-term problems, like severe scars, deafness or arms or legs that need to be removed by surgery (amputations).1

Learn more about meningococcal disease and meningococcal vaccination

Pneumococcal disease refers to a range of illnesses that affect different parts of the body and are caused by pneumococcal bacteria. Pneumococcal infection can cause:

  • inflammation around the brain (meningitis)
  • infection in the lungs (pneumonia)
  • ear infections that can damage hearing
  • other serious diseases.2  

The infection spreads between people through droplets of saliva or mucous, such as from coughing, sneezing or kissing.

People with certain medical conditions, such as those with weak immune systems (immunocompromised), are more likely to get very sick from pneumococcal disease.2

Learn more about pneumococcal disease and pneumococcal vaccination

COVID-19 is a viral infection caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. 

It spreads easily and is passed between people through sneezing, coughing, speaking, singing or breathing and when people touch contaminated surfaces or objects.3 

The most common symptoms are a sore throat, cough, runny nose, headache and fever. 

In severe cases, COVID-19 can cause hospitalisation and death, including in children and adolescents.4 

Most children and adolescents recover quickly, but a small proportion will experience ongoing symptoms or health impacts.5

Learn more about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccination

What do I need to do before these additional vaccines?

Your adolescent can be vaccinated in a few different locations, including a GP clinic or a community health clinic. In all states and territories, pharmacists can also vaccinate adolescents. If your adolescent gets vaccinated at a clinic or pharmacy, you may be charged a fee for the visit.

Speak with your doctor, nurse or community health worker to understand what vaccines they can provide and to arrange an appointment. 

What do I need to do after these additional vaccines?

After their vaccinations, your adolescent may be tired and want to rest more than usual. Some adolescents may also experience mild discomfort or pain where the injection was given. These symptoms should only last for a day or two.

Serious side effects are very rare, but they can happen. Some parents want to know more about them before they vaccinate their adolescent.

If your adolescent doesn’t seem to be getting better after a vaccine or you are worried about them, you can get help:

  • from your doctor
  • at your nearest emergency department
  • by calling Healthdirect on 1800 022 222.
When does my adolescent need their next vaccination?

Sometimes adolescents with certain medical risk conditions need to be vaccinated at different times compared to adolescents without these conditions. It is important that you consult your doctor, nurse or community health worker to know when to get additional vaccines or extra doses.  

It is also recommended that your adolescent get an influenza (flu) vaccine every year before the influenza season.

What if I still have questions?

You can read some answers to common questions here.

If you still have questions about vaccinations for your adolescent, write them down and make an appointment with your doctor, nurse or community health worker so you can ask them.

For more detailed conversations, you can ask your doctor, nurse or health worker to refer you to a specialist immunisation service.
 

Specialist immunisation services

In each state and territory, there are specialist immunisation services where specialised nursing and medical professionals can provide immunisation advice for children and adolescents with unique medical backgrounds. To find out more about these services in your area, see this National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance webpage.

Please note: In SKAI Adolescent, the phrase ‘your adolescent’ refers to all guardian relationships where health decisions for an adolescent fall under your responsibility.

Drafts of this page were reviewed by members of our Consumer Advisory Group.


  1. Harrison LH, Granoff DM & Pollard AJ. Meningococcal capsular group A, C, W, and Y conjugate vaccines. In Plotkin SA, Orenstein WA, Offit PA, Edwards KM (Eds). Plotkin’s vaccines. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2018:619-43
  2. Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation. Australian Immunisation Handbook. Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care; Canberra: 2024. Available from www.immunisationhandbook.health.gov.au
  3. World Health Organization. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): how is it transmitted? December 2021. Available from https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/coronavirus-disease-covid-19-how-is-it-transmitted
  4. Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care. COVID-19 Australia: Epidemiology Report 79. Communicable Diseases Intelligence 2023;47
  5. World Health Organization. A clinical case definition for post COVID-19 condition in children and adolescents by expert consensus. February 2023. Available from https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/366126/WHO-2019-nCoV-Post-COVID-19-condition-CA-Clinical-case-definition-2023.1-eng.pdf?sequence=1