Concern over new immunisation rate data

Australian Academy of Science President, Professor Suzanne Cory expressed grave concern over reports today rates of immunisation are so low in some areas of Australia that there is a risk that contagious diseases will spread.

The National Health Performance Authority report revealed that while Australia has high immunisation rates by world standards, more than 77,000 Australian children have not been immunised.

“It’s concerning that so many children remain unprotected,” Professor Cory said.

“When people are not immunised, they risk exposing young babies – who cannot be immunised – to life-threatening diseases such as measles and whooping cough.

“In the case of a highly infectious disease such as measles, more than 95 per cent of the population must be vaccinated to achieve sufficient level of immunity to prevent transmission if the disease recurs.

“The Academy is concerned that low rates of immunisation persist in Australia because of misinformation and misunderstanding about immunisation science.”

The Australian Academy of Science recently set out to counter misinformation about immunisation and put to rest some common myths with a comprehensive booklet written by the nation’s top immunologists.

The Science of Immunisation: Questions and Answers explains the latest immunology science in accessible language, in response to confusion created by contradictory information in the public domain.

Professor Cory urged all parents to use it as an aid to making crucial decisions about their children’s health.

“The Academy is strongly committed to ensuring that every Australian has the opportunity to understand scientific issues and base their decisions on the best available evidence,” Professor Cory said.

“That’s why we brought together some of the best researchers in the field in Australia to develop a document written as simply as possible, and which is thorough and scientifically rigorous.”

Since its launch in November, more than one million copies of the booklet have been distributed in hardcopy or downloaded from the Academy’s website.

(Source: Australian Academy of Science : The Science of Immunisation: Questions and Answers)

More information

For more information on immunisation, including the childhood immunisation scedule, types of vaccines, preconception screening, as well as some useful videos, see Immunisation.