On 1 September 2025, changes to the National Immunisation Program (NIP) schedule for pneumococcal vaccination in infants, children and adolescents came into effect.

This webinar – designed for immunisation providers, public health professionals and clinical stakeholders – will explore the rationale behind the program review, provide a detailed clinical update on the changes and offer practical guidance for implementing the new recommendations.

Participants will gain insights into:

• Disease epidemiology: A review of pneumococcal disease, its burden and outcomes in children and impact from vaccination programs.
• New vaccines: An overview of higher-valency pneumococcal conjugate vaccines, including the 20-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (20vPCV).
• Program changes: An outline of key updates to vaccine schedules, including:
  • replacement of 13vPCV with 20vPCV as the NIP-funded vaccine for children
  • expansion of the 4-dose PCV schedule to include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children across all states and territories
  • removal of 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (23vPPV) for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and children and adolescents with specified medical risk conditions.
• Clinical guidance: Practice points for assessing eligibility, administering vaccines, ensuring schedule completion and transitional arrangements.
• Case scenarios: Real-world examples to support clinical decision-making for at-risk children and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations.
• Adult program review: An overview of current program status and anticipated directions for future updates.

This session will equip healthcare providers with the knowledge and tools to confidently navigate the transition to 20vPCV, support families and ensure high-quality immunisation delivery under the updated schedule.

An interactive Q&A discussion will follow the presentations. 

Recordings of the webinar will be made available on the NCIRS website in the days following the session.