• Immunity develops approximately fifteen days after vaccination.
• Vaccination requires two doctor appointments, exactly seven days apart. The first is to complete pre-screening tests (a blood test and a skin test), and the second is for the vaccination.
• Pre-screening is required to determine whether you have been exposed to Q fever bacteria in the past (to assess whether you have pre-existing immunity).
• Pre-screening and vaccination are only available in Australia and take three weeks to complete.

Learn more about the Q fever vaccination process on the NSW Health website.

Deadlines for vacination

Check the census date and key dates before booking your Q fever vaccination.

Courses requiring Q fever vaccination

Course	Deadline for vaccination
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine	Before commencing the course or no later than the first day of the enrolled teaching session.
Bachelor of Agricultural Science Bachelor of Agricultural Science (Honours) Bachelor of Veterinary Biology and Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.	Before commencing the course or no later than the census date.
Bachelor of Animal and Veterinary Bioscience (including honours) Bachelor of Wildlife Conservation (Taronga) (including honours)	If you enrol in Semester 1: Before commencing the course or no later than census date. If you enrol in Semester 2: Before commencing the course or no later than the first day of the enrolled teaching session.

Units of study requiring Q fever vaccination

If your course is not in the table of courses which requires vaccination but includes one of the following units of study, you are still required to be vaccinated against Q fever. You must be vaccinated by the first day of your enrolled teaching session.

• AVBS1002 Animal Management
• AVBS2006 Animal Farming Systems
• AVBS2007 Animal Structure and Function
• AVBS2011 Farm Placement
• AVBS2012 Industry or Business Placement
• AVBS2013 Research Experience Placement
• AVBS2014 Elective Placement
• AVBS3005 Animal Health and Disease
• AVBS3011 Animal Technologies
• ANSC3102 Animal Reproduction
• ANSC4100 Applied Livestock Systems
• ANSC3100 Aquaculture and Poultry Production
• ANSC3106 Animal Behaviour and Welfare Science
• AVBS4002 Dairy Production and Technology
• AFNR2001 Farm Placement
• AFNR2002 Industry Placement
• AFNR2003 Research Placement
• AFNR2004 Elective Placement
• WILD3003 Wildlife Management
• WILD3002 Wildlife Health and Welfare
• WILD4001 Wildlife Management
• WILD4002 Wildlife Health and Welfare.

Finding a vaccinator

Q fever pre-screening and vaccination are available at a reduced rate to students (approximately $200) at:

• University Health Service, Camperdown Campus: students booking an appointment must advise that it is for Q fever pre-screening and vaccination purposes. Request an appointment with Dr Susan Willis, Dr Leonie Matthews or Dr Beena Chaugule, who are the only practitioners at the practice who take Q fever appointments.
• Redfern Station Medical Centre: visit their website for costs and bookings.
• Other clinics that offer pre-screening and vaccination may charge up to $500. Check costs before booking.

The University does not cover pre-screening and vaccination costs; they are your responsibility.

If your doctor advises that you cannot receive a Q fever vaccination

Where possible, the Faculty will accommodate students who are unable to be vaccinated through reasonable adjustments to allow them to meet their course's inherent requirements.

Requests are overseen by the Inclusion and Disabilities Service and communicated to teaching staff through an Academic Plan.

Reasonable adjustments need supporting documentation and risk assessments. These will assess whether the adjustments can be safely implemented and properly documented to manage the risk of exposure for individuals unable to get vaccinated. Students must also obtain medical clearance.

Supporting documents must be submitted when registering with Inclusion and Disability Services. These documents must be in the form of a verifiable digital/physical medical certificate issued by an Australian medical practitioner (registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)) who has completed the pre-screening process.

Medical certificates must clearly state that the student is ineligible for vaccination and include the:

• practitioner’s name, contact details, provider or registration number and signature
• date of pre-screening
• the specific reason for non-vaccination
• date the certificate was written and signed.

Q fever Vaccination Declaration

You'll need to submit a Q fever Vaccination Declaration. This involves providing your vaccination information to the University, which helps the University monitor compliance with vaccination requirements and implement risk mitigation strategies to protect individuals who cannot receive vaccinations.

If you are a student undergoing pre-screening and vaccination, you'll need to provide your pre-screening and vaccination appointment dates. This information must clearly demonstrate that all vaccination requirements will be met by the specified deadline.

Additionally, you will need to update your declaration once you have been vaccinated.

You’ll receive a link to the Q fever Vaccination Declaration after you have enrolled.

Evidence of vaccination

As a student of the courses or units of study outlined on this page, it is a requirement that you always carry a copy of your vaccination evidence to show to teaching staff upon request.

Students who fail to present vaccination evidence upon request are precluded from practical learning activities and will not be able to satisfactorily complete relevant units of study and/or progress in their course more generally.

The following can be presented as evidence of Q fever vaccination:

1. A digital/physical immunisation certificate from Medicare or the Australian Immunisation Health Register. Information on how to obtain immunisation history statements can be found on the Services Australia website.

2. A digital/physical medical certificate issued by an Australian medical practitioner (registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency AHPRA) that completed the pre-screening and vaccination(s) process.

   Medical certificates must include the:

   • practitioner’s name, contact details, provider or registration number and signature
   • vaccination name/type
   • date of pre-screening
   • date of vaccination
   • date the certificate was written and signed.

Other vaccinations

• Ensure that your tetanus vaccination is up to date.
• Consider a Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) vaccine . JEV vaccination is recommended for anyone living in any part of NSW who works with, lives near or is visiting piggeries, including veterinary students and others involved in the care of pigs.
• You can arrange for various vaccinations through the University Health Service.

For further details about vaccinations, the Australian Immunisation Handbook has information for people who have regular contact with animals.