Dengue vaccine Qdenga now available for Australian travellers
Qdenga, a new dengue vaccine available in Australia, protects against all four dengue types.
Dengue is spreading in popular Australian travel spots: Indonesia, Thailand and India top the list. More than 1,900 Australians caught dengue in 2025, mostly returning from overseas.
The new vaccine Qdenga teaches your immune system to fight all four dengue types. It's given as two doses, three months apart.
In a large study of children and teenagers in countries where dengue is common, the vaccine prevented about 80% of illness and more than 95% of hospitalisations in the first year. Most side effects are mild, injection site pain, headache, fatigue, lasting one to three days.
Qdenga is recommended for travellers aged four and over who have had dengue, or those expecting long or repeated trips to high-risk areas. For shorter trips to places without current outbreaks, the choice is more personal.
The vaccine costs around $300 for both doses. Avoiding mosquito bites remains important.
- 1,900+
- Australians infected in 2025
- Four
- Dengue types
- 95%+
- First-year hospitalisation prevention
- Around $300 both doses
- Vaccine cost
Why it mattersDengue can cause severe illness needing hospital care, and a second infection with a different dengue type is often worse than the first. The vaccine gives you another layer of protection beyond insect repellent.
AustraliaAustralian travellers to Southeast Asia now have a proven vaccine option. Around 1,900 Australians a year catch dengue overseas and bring it home; vaccination reduces that risk and the burden on our health system.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 2 h ago
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