Immunisation Handbook 2020

Last updated: 15 February 2023

The Immunisation Handbook 2020 provides clinical guidelines for health professionals on the safest and most effective use of vaccines in their practice. These guidelines are based on the best scientific evidence available at the time of publication, from published and unpublished literature.

Read the handbook

To read the Immunisation Handbook you can:

• view the Immunisation Handbook online (including individual chapters)
• download a PDF of the Immunisation Handbook (PDF, 5.6 MB)
• download an ebook version of the Immunisation Handbook (epub, 2.0 MB).

Refer to the Pharmaceutical Schedule (on the Pharmac website) for the number of funded doses, eligibility criteria and any subsequent changes to the funding decisions.

Changes to the handbook in 2020

All chapters have been updated and revised since the 2017 edition (2nd edition, 2018).

See the Introduction for more detail on changes to:

• the chapters
• the National Immunisation Schedule.

Individual chapters

• Foreword
• Introduction
• 1. General immunisation principles
• 2. Processes for safe immunisation
• 3. Vaccination questions and addressing concerns
• 4. Immunisation of special groups
• 5. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
• 6. Diphtheria
• 7. Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) disease disease
• 8. Hepatitis A
• 9. Hepatitis B
• 10. Human papillomavirus
• 11. Influenza
• 12. Measles
• 13. Meningococcal disease
• 14. Mumps
• 15. Pertussis (whooping cough)
• 16. Pneumococcal disease
• 17. Poliomyelitis
• 18. Rotavirus
• 19. Rubella
• 20. Tetanus
• 21. Tuberculosis
• 22. Varicella (chickenpox)
• 23. Zoster (herpes zoster/shingles)
• Appendix 1: The history of immunisation in New Zealand
• Appendix 2: Planning immunisation catch-ups
• Appendix 3: Immunisation standards for vaccinators and guidelines for organisations offering immunisation services
• Appendix 4: Authorisation of vaccinators and criteria for pharmacist vaccinators
• Appendix 5: Immunisation certificate
• Appendix 6: Passive immunisation
• Appendix 7: Vaccine presentation, preparation, disposal, and needle-stick recommendations
• Appendix 8: Websites and other online resources
• Funded vaccines for special groups
• Anaphylaxis response/management
• National Immunisation Schedule
• Acknowledgements
• Commonly used abbreviations
• Glossary of vaccine brand names and abbreviations
• Main sources