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  • Who should get vaccinated and when

    The best time to immunise against each disease varies. On-time vaccination offers the best protection. Find out who should get vaccinated and when.

  • What to vaccinate against

    Immunisation from vaccine preventable diseases saves around 3 million lives worldwide each year and helps to prevent outbreaks and hospitalisations.

  • Where to get vaccinated

    Getting vaccinated is easy. You can get most vaccines from your GP or other vaccine service providers. Find out where to get vaccinated.

  • Vaccination records

    Your vaccination record is the history of all the vaccines you’ve had. Find out how vaccines are recorded and how to access records of them.

  • Travel vaccinations

    If you’re travelling to countries where immunisation rates are low or preventable infectious diseases are common, you will need to get vaccinated. See your doctor before your departure to ensure you are protected.

  • Vaccination and pregnancy

    Influenza (the flu) and whooping cough can be life-threatening for mums and bubs. Find out why vaccinations during pregnancy are important and when you should get them.

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Why vaccinate

It is important that your decisions about immunisations are based on facts. Want to know how immunisation works? Or if vaccinations are safe? Get all the facts.

Learn how vaccines work

Vaccines contain small amounts of dead, weakened or partial virus/bacteria. When they are injected into the body, the immune system responds by producing antibodies (substances that fight off infection and disease) in the body. These antibodies can be quickly produced if you contract the virus or bacteria in the future, stopping the disease or reducing its impact.

Duration: 1:36

Vaccines are safe, clever, and help protect us from serious diseases like measles, whooping cough or the flu.
But how do they work?
Well, let's take a look at our immune system first.
Every day, we come into contact with germs.
But thanks to a healthy immune system we can usually avoid getting sick.
You see, our immune system is on constant alert for viruses and bacteria trying to enter our body.
If they do get in, white blood cells surround them and create antibodies, that lock onto and destroy the germs.
Vaccines work in the same way by, stimulating the immune system into triggering this same response.
The vaccines seem like viruses or bacteria, but actually, their non-harmful forms or parts of the viruses or bacteria, which are just enough to trigger our immune response.
Our antibodies then destroy it without us getting sick.
These antibodies stay in our body for some time.
So, in the future...
If we do come into contact with the real virus or bacteria, our immune system remembers it, and how to fight it.
Think of vaccines as battle training for our immune system!
That's why vaccines are our best form of protection.

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13 HEALTH

To talk to a registered nurse about vaccinations call 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84).

Information in your language

You can get help to translate or interpret our information on the Queensland Government website. You can also call the Translating and Interpreting Service on 131 450.

Last updated:   October 2026

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