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Immunizations - travel vaccinations - Management
How should consent for vaccination be obtained?
- Consent must be obtained before administering a vaccine.
- Verbal consent is sufficient (written consent is not a legal requirement for immunization).
- Those who are capable of giving consent may do so in writing, orally, or by co-operation:
- Adults over 18 years of age must consent to their own treatment.
- People aged 16 or 17 years are entitled to consent to their own treatment (under Fraser competence). Younger children who fully understand what is involved can also give consent, although ideally their parents will be involved.
- For children not competent to give or withhold consent, consent can be given by a person with parental responsibility.
Clarification / Additional information
- Consent is valid if the person giving consent is offered as much information as they reasonably need to make their decision.
- Offered information should be written or verbal, and in a form that is easily understood by the person giving the consent.
Basis for recommendation
- These recommendations are based on expert advice from the Department of Health [DH, 2006c].
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