Vaccination Services - Hepatitis A

Hepatitis A is one of the classic “traveller’s” infections, picked up from contaminated food and water in many popular destinations. It can lay you low for weeks. A vaccine gives long-lasting protection, and it is one of the most commonly recommended travel vaccines for Australians heading overseas.

What is hepatitis A, and the vaccine?

Hepatitis A is a viral infection of the liver spread mainly through contaminated food and water, or close contact with an infected person. It causes fever, nausea, abdominal pain, and jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes), and while most people recover fully, it can cause weeks of illness and occasionally serious disease, especially in older adults. The vaccine is highly effective and, with the recommended doses, gives long-term protection.

Who is it for?

Hepatitis A vaccine is mainly recommended for:

• Travellers to regions where hepatitis A is common, which includes many parts of Asia (such as Indonesia/Bali, Thailand, Vietnam), the Indian subcontinent, Africa, and Central and South America;
• Risk groups, such as some occupational groups, men who have sex with men, people who inject drugs, and people with chronic liver disease;
• Sometimes funded for specific groups (for example, certain Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in some states); otherwise it is usually a private (paid) travel vaccine.

A full course is generally two doses spaced months apart, but a single dose before travel still gives good short-term protection, with the second dose for lasting cover.

Getting it at a pharmacy

Trained pharmacist immunisers commonly provide hepatitis A vaccination as part of travel health services. The pharmacist reviews your trip and history, administers the vaccine, observes you for around 15 minutes, and records it on the Australian Immunisation Register. Mention your destination and departure date so timing and any other travel vaccines (it is often combined with typhoid, or given alongside hepatitis B) can be planned together.

Plan ahead, and don’t forget food-and-water care

Start travel vaccines early, ideally weeks before departure. Vaccination is the main protection, but also follow safe food and water practices abroad (the same precautions reduce other travellers’ illnesses too). A pharmacist can advise on a travel kit for stomach upsets.

Safety

Hepatitis A vaccine has a strong safety record, with mild, short-lived side effects such as a sore arm or low fever being most common. Tell the pharmacist about severe allergies, past reactions, pregnancy, or a weakened immune system.

How it’s regulated in Australia

Hepatitis A vaccine is approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration, funded under the National Immunisation Program for specific groups and otherwise available privately. Pharmacist immunisers administer it under state and territory rules and record doses on the Australian Immunisation Register, guided by the Australian Immunisation Handbook and Smartraveller for travel advice.

Official sources

• Healthdirect: hepatitis A
• Smartraveller: before you go (health)

Heading somewhere hepatitis A is common? Get protected early. Use the button below to find a pharmacy offering hepatitis A vaccination near you.