Since establishment in 2003, Spleen Australia runs a free clinical service for people living without a functioning spleen.
For more than two decades we have been funded to register people living in, or who have had treatment for their spleen condition in, Victoria, Tasmania, Queensland and Western Australia.
The Spleen Australia story: A timeline of key milestones
2002 — The catalyst
- A young woman at Alfred Hospital dies of pneumococcal sepsis. Her medical team believes the death was preventable — the tragedy that sparks the idea for a dedicated registry.
2003 — The Registry is born
- Victorian Department of Human Services (DHHS) funding secured, ethics approval granted, the Spleen Registry opens at Alfred Hospital with its first Registry Coordinator and patient enrolment begins across Alfred Hospital and Southern Health sites.
2005 — Fundraising and a national spotlight
- With additional funding from the Flack Trust and a successful fundraising concert at Alfred Hospital that generated nationwide awareness, the Spleen Registry grew to 330 patients after a media release prompted 150 calls from people across Australia who discovered they were at risk.
2006 — Proving its worth
- A cost-effectiveness study of the Registry is published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, backing up the case for its value.
2007 — New name
- The service becomes the Victorian Spleen Registry, reflecting its growing, statewide reach.
2009 — Member numbers grow
- The total number of Spleen registry members grows to 1401
2015 — Going national
- Queensland and Tasmania join the service and is rebranded Spleen Australia.
2018 — Study proves reduction risk
- A second study of the registry is published in the Clinical Infectious Diseases Journal showed Spleen Australia reduces the risk of infections with encapsulated organisms. The study found 69% reduction in risk and estimated to prevent 5-6 invasive infections in Victoria.
- Spleen Australia website officially launched.
2020 — Free vaccines and COVID-19
- Spleen vaccines became available free under the National Immunisation Program, increase in activity due to COVID-19 pandemic and membership grows to 11,096.
2022 — 13,000 and counting
- In December Spleen Australia passes a major milestone with more than 13,000 patients registered with the service.
2023 — Two decades strong
- Western Australia joins the service in June, and we now have a total of four funded states (Vic, Tas, QLD and WA)
- Spleen Australia celebrates 20 years of operation, from a single hospital registry born out of one preventable death to a multi-state clinical service protecting thousands of Australians without a functioning spleen.
2024 — New leadership team
- After 21 years Penny Jones retired as the manager of Spleen Australia and founder Denis Spelman stood down before he retired in 2025, completing a tenure of around 40 years at Alfred Health. Sharon O’Brien took over as Manager and Dr Nenad Macesic as the Medical Lead.
2025 — Spleen community continues to grow
- Spleen Australia's commitment to help people living without a functioning spleen sees the total number of members increase to 16,015.
Here's to many more decades of continued care and support.
To join the rich history of the Spleen community simply register with our service, you will receive a telephone education session from a registered nurse. We send you education materials, and a personalised vaccine and antibiotic plan, which is also shared with your GP.