PARENTS and guardians are being encouraged to ensure their teenagers are up to date with their vaccinations, as part of an adolescent immunisation campaign.

The campaign - which will run from February to November this year - aims to support the uptake of free, school-based vaccinations for year 7 and year 10 students across the state.

Under the National Immunisation Program, students in year 7 are offered the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine and a diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis booster, while students in year 10 are offered the meningococcal ACWY vaccine.

The campaign urges parents and carers to complete online consent forms, which are required for school-based immunisation to occur.

Vaccination during adolescence plays an important role in protecting young people from serious and preventable diseases, including cancers caused by HPV, whooping cough, and life-threatening meningococcal disease.

For students who miss their school clinics, additional vaccination opportunities are available through participating pharmacies, general practitioners, community immunisation clinics, and Aboriginal medical services.

Ensuring adolescents are vaccinated at the recommended age helps protect their health now and into adulthood, while also supporting broader community protection.

It forms part of the state government’s commitment to keeping Western Australians well in the short and long-term.

Preventative Health Minister Sabine Winton said adolescent vaccination is one of the most effective ways to protect young Western Australians from serious disease, both now and later in life.

For more information about adolescent vaccines and consent forms, visit www.healthywa.wa.gov.au/articles/a_e/adolescent-immunisation