What about my adolescent’s religious practice or spiritual observance?

Key facts

  • Adolescents who follow religious practices and spiritual observances can still be vaccinated on time. This helps give them the best possible protection against infectious diseases.

  • Many healthcare providers respect and understand spiritual and religious practices during school or clinic vaccinations.

  • Even if your adolescent is not sexually active, getting the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine at a younger age offers better protection against HPV-related diseases and cancers.

Last updated on 13 August 2025.

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Can my adolescent who follows a religious or spiritual practice be vaccinated?

Yes, your adolescent can still be vaccinated, even when they are practising or observing a religious activity. This includes observing special diets or fasting.

Some parents and carers want to know what religious leaders have to say about vaccination. Around the world, many faith leaders have talked about how important vaccines are for keeping people healthy.

Some parents and carers from Muslim families have questions about whether pork (porcine) products are used in the production of vaccines. The routine vaccines offered to adolescents as part of the National Immunisation Program (NIP) do not contain gelatin or pork products.1

Muslim families may also have questions about adolescents being vaccinated during periods of religious fasting. Several faith leaders around the world have agreed that getting a vaccine through the skin does not break a religious fast.2,3

A statement from the Australian Fatwa Council about COVID-19 vaccination and fasting is available here [PDF].

Some parents and carers from Jewish families have questions about whether pork (porcine) products are used in the production of vaccines. The routine NIP vaccines offered to adolescents in Australia do not contain gelatin or pork products.1

An American research article that explains the most common Judaic views about vaccines is available here.

Some parents and carers from Catholic faiths have questions if human cell lines are used to make some vaccines. The routine NIP vaccines given to adolescents in Australia are not made with human cell lines.1

A statement from the Rome-based Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on the use of vaccines made from human cell lines is available here.

The faiths of Jainism, Buddhism and Hinduism believe in non-violence and the need to sustain human and animal life.4  

In general, leaders from these faiths support parents and carers to accept vaccines. Currently, there are no known concerns about any vaccine ingredients among people who follow these religions.4

Will my adolescent’s modesty or privacy requirements be respected during vaccination?

In Australia, many students are vaccinated through school immunisation programs. The amount of privacy available during a school vaccination clinic can be different across schools.

If you have questions about how your adolescent’s modesty needs (such as wearing a hijab or long clothing) can be accommodated, you can call your adolescent’s school to ask.

You can also call the phone numbers in the school immunisation information pack and ask the nurse immunisers your questions.

During these conversations, the school nurse immuniser may also tell you about other places to get vaccinated, such as a clinic visit with a doctor or community health worker or at a pharmacy. If you choose to vaccinate your adolescent at a private clinic, there may be a fee.

Why does my adolescent need to get the HPV vaccine if they are not sexually active?

Some families who follow a religious or spiritual practice ask why their adolescent needs an HPV vaccine if they are not sexually active. Vaccinating your adolescent between the ages of 12 and 13 years (year 7) is the most effective way to protect them against HPV infection and related cancers as adults.5

HPV is spread through sexual contact. Most people with HPV don’t have any symptoms. So when your adolescent is an adult, they will not be able to tell if their partner has the virus. Even adults who have only been sexually active with one partner can get an HPV infection.6 It is best to get the vaccine early and be protected before any risk of being exposed to it.

In Australia, women between the ages of 25 and 70 years are offered cervical screening tests to find HPV infections that have been in the body for a long time and could lead to cancer.7

Right now, there are no other national screening programs to check men for HPV or cancers caused by HPV. So, for all adolescents, getting the HPV vaccination early is the best way to prevent an HPV infection and HPV-related cancers.

Please note: In SKAI Adolescent, the phrase ‘your adolescent’ refers to all guardian relationships where health decisions for an adolescent fall under your responsibility.

Drafts of this page were reviewed by members of our Consumer Advisory Group and Dipti Zachariah (Deputy Director, New South Wales Statewide Health Literacy Hub), an expert in multicultural health communication practice.


  1. Australian Immunisation Handbook. Table. Components of immunisation products used in Australia. Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care; Canberra: 2024, Available from https://immunisationhandbook.health.gov.au/resources/tables/table-components-of-immunisation-products-used-in-australia
  2. Alsuwaidi AR, Hammad HAA, Elbarazi I et al. Vaccine hesitancy within the Muslim community: Islamic faith and public health perspectives. Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics 2023;19:2190716
  3. Maravia U. COVID-19 Intra-muscular vaccinations during Ramadan: the permissibility of vaccines whilst fasting. Journal of the British Islamic Medical Association 2021; 7
  4. Grabenstein JD. What the world’s religions teach, applied to vaccines and immune globulins. Vaccine 2013;31:2011–23
  5. Kjaer SK, Dehlendorff C, Belmonte F et al. Real-world effectiveness of human papillomavirus vaccination against cervical cancer. Journal of the National Cancer Institute 2021;113:1329-35
  6. Winer RL, Feng Q, Hughes JP et al. Risk of female human papillomavirus acquisition associated with first male sex partner. Journal of Infectious Diseases 2008;197:279-82
  7. National Cervical Screening Program. Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care. 2024. Available from https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/national-cervical-screening-program