Immunisation
Immunisation protects you from serious diseases throughout life, from 6 weeks of age to 65 years old. Getting vaccinated at the recommended times will give the best protection against disease. Immunisation is the most effective way to actively protect your child from preventable diseases, such as whooping cough, tetanus, hepatitis B and measles.
The Ministry of Health supports immunisation and Kaiapoi Family Doctors offers the full National Immunisation Schedule for all eligible patients. We can provide vaccinations outside of the Immunisation Schedule; please call to confirm costs prior to being vaccinated.
Child Immunisation is FREE
Vaccination information
The New Zealand National Immunisation Schedule is a series of immunisations (including boosters) given at specific times between the ages of 6 weeks and 12 years. To get the best possible protection, have the immunisations on time, every time. Kaiapoi Family Doctors can administer all of the childhood immunisations in the practice. All childhood immunisations are FREE. If you have not had a childhood immunisation, the catchup schedule is FREE as well.
Click here to find out when it's best to immunise your child, or call us to book an immunisation today.
Whooping cough is funded for pregnant women in their third trimester and recommended for close family members* (e.g. partner, grandparents and close family members). The Boostrix Vaccine, scheduled for ages 45 and 65 as well as following open-wound injuries, is FREE and contains the whooping cough vaccine.
*Whooping cough vaccinations are not funded for family members outside the schedule.
Since tetanus bacteria are everywhere in the environment and the disease is not transmitted from person to person, community (herd) immunity does not protect individuals. Vaccination with three or more doses of tetanus-containing vaccine is required for full protection, followed by booster vaccinations throughout life. Boosters may be recommended following injury where the wound is at high risk of being infected with tetanus or if it has been more than 5 years since the last booster.
Who needs protection against Shingles?
Shingles is a painful skin rash, caused by the varicella zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. You can help prevent shingles by getting a FREE Shingrix immunisation at the age of 65. After you recover from chickenpox, the virus stays in your body. It moves to the roots of your nerve cells (near the spinal cord) and becomes inactive (dormant). Later, if the virus becomes active again, shingles is the name given to the symptoms it causes. You can only get shingles if you’ve had chickenpox in the past (usually as a child).
While anyone who has recovered from chickenpox may develop shingles, the risk of shingles increases as you get older. You can’t catch shingles from someone else. However, if you’ve never had chickenpox, or received the chickenpox vaccine, you can catch chickenpox from close contact with someone who has shingles, because the shingles blisters contain the chickenpox virus.
Want to know when to vaccinate?
Child immunisation
Adults need immunisations too.
Immunisation is not just recommended for children.
Whooping Cough is funded for pregnant women in their third trimester and recommended (but not funded) for close family members (e.g. partners, grandparents and close family members). Adult Vaccinations such as Tetanus boosters are recommended at 45 and 65 years of age or earlier in the case of dirty wounds. The Shingles Vaccine is recommended for men and women aged 65 to 80 years old and is funded for eligible patients.
Going overseas? You'll need travel vaccination
Our Travel Health team can ensure you get up to date advice on the appropriate immunisations and maximise your health protection. A travel appointment takes 30-45 minutes and will give you and your family invaluable advice for planning your trip, and staying safe while away.
We have a wide range of immunisation in stock and can start the process immediately.