ACT Public Health Clinician Alert: Extension of the ACT Government-funded expanded Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) vaccine program

Extension of ACT Government-funded expanded JEV vaccine program

Expanded eligibility for ACT Government-funded JEV vaccine has been extended from 31 July 2026 until Sunday 31 January 2027, subject to stock availability.

Key information (updates to prior alert from 25 June in red text) 

• Expanded eligibility for ACT Government-funded JEV vaccine has been extended from 31 July 2026 until Sunday 31 January 2027, subject to stock availability.
• Expanded eligibility includes anyone in the ACT who plans to travel to any high-risk areas in Australia for outdoor recreational activities. This includes for planned travel beyond 31 January 2027.
• There are Japanese encephalitis (JE) high risk areas in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory. Links to the relevant state/territory websites are available on the ACT JEV vaccination webpage.
• JEV is now considered endemic to Australia. In NSW, JEV is endemic in the north-east and in areas west of the Great Dividing Range. The Yass Valley Local Government Area, which borders the ACT, is on the NSW list of high-risk areas.
• The risk of JEV exposure has not changed in the ACT. To date, JEV has not been detected in mosquitoes or acquired in humans in the ACT.
• Continue to encourage mosquito bite prevention behaviours for people travelling to areas with mosquitoes, including people who have received a JEV vaccine.

All ACT public health clinical alerts can be found on the ACT Government website.

For more information Clinician Alert - Extension-of-ACT-Government-funded-expanded-JEV-vaccine