Page 903 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 22 March 2017
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
This helps protect babies too young to be vaccinated and those vulnerable to disease, such as the elderly or those with weakened immunity as a result of treatment such as chemotherapy. It is important to emphasise that the benefits of vaccination far outweigh any potential dangers.
As a result of our successful vaccination programs, we no longer see diseases such as tetanus, diphtheria and polio. As Mrs Kikkert also noted, it is sometimes easy to forget that this is a result of immunisation. A recent case of tetanus in an unimmunised seven-year-old child in northern New South Wales was a stark reminder that the organisms that can make us very ill with these diseases are still around and we cannot be complacent.
It is also worth pointing out that 25 years ago in the ACT we had 10 to 20 children hospitalised with serious diseases such as meningitis and epiglottitis caused by a bacteria called haemophilus influenza type B, commonly called HIB. The introduction of a vaccine for HIB in 1993 saw a dramatic drop in the disease, and I am pleased to say there have been no reports of HIB in the ACT in the past 20 years.
Vaccines are safe. Vaccines save lives. Rapid advances in the science of immunisation mean that modern vaccines are extremely safe and serious reactions to them are rare. Safety testing is also a key component of vaccine development. Before a vaccine is included on the immunisation schedule in Australia it is carefully examined for safety and effectiveness. It is also worth noting that we need only take a look at other countries around the world where immunisation is not provided and does not have an effect in the community to see the devastating impact of diseases that we now consider no longer affect the Australian community.
There is also, sadly, a lot of misinformation on vaccines promoted by a very active anti-immunisation lobby. Such groups raise doubts in parents by linking vaccines to conditions, links that are simply unproven. Numerous studies and reviews have produced conclusive proof that there is no credible scientific evidence that vaccinations lead to an increased risk of illness, in particular autism. Nevertheless, we need to continue to make the case for vaccination in our community and reassure parents who might have questions that vaccinating their children is safe and the benefits far outweigh the risks.
The ACT government is committed to maintaining and increasing the high rates of immunisation in our community. In recent years the government’s immunisation strategies have aimed to build on our success in this area and expand the focus of immunisation to the whole of life. This strategy helps to reduce hospital admissions for vaccine preventable diseases, particularly in high risk groups. ACT Health has implemented a number of initiatives to increase coverage rates in all age groups, including following up unimmunised and under-immunised children, capturing data that may have been lost and transcribing overseas immunisation records.
I am pleased to say that the ACT, as has been noted, consistently leads Australia in childhood immunisation rates, with the latest quarterly report from the Australian childhood immunisation register showing the ACT achieved 94.9 per cent
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video