Latest news with #immunisation
SBS Australia
12-06-2025
- Health
- SBS Australia
Australia's 'very distressing' vaccination rates and what the government is doing about it
The majority of children in Australia are vaccinated, but the government and experts say the goal is to reach 95 per cent coverage to ensure strong community protection. Source: Getty / dpa/picture alliance The declining rates of vaccination in Australia are "very distressing", according to one immunologist, as the federal government looks to tackle declining immunity. Health Minister Mark Butler launched the national immunisation strategy on Thursday, which aims to increase vaccine uptake and foster community trust. It's the kind of program that experts have told SBS News is vital in protecting vulnerable communities and children from diseases. John Dwyer, an immunologist and emeritus professor of medicine at the University of NSW, told SBS News there has been an erosion of trust in vaccines. "Declining rates of vaccination, especially among children in Australia, are very distressing," he said. "When you look at what's happening in the US, with the dismissal of top vaccine officials, it's a worry. Misinformation can be spreading not only there but here as well," Dwyer said. United States health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr announced on Monday he is removing all 17 sitting members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's vaccine advisory committee and replacing them with new members. Dwyer said it's necessary for the Australian government to take a proactive approach to improve vaccination rates. "We've got to counter this misinformation, which is far outweighing the good information that's available through social media," he said. Data from 2020 to 2024 shows a decline in the vaccination rate among children under the age of five, according to Australia's National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance. The majority of children in Australia are vaccinated, but the government and experts say the goal is to reach 95 per cent coverage to ensure strong community protection. In 2024, 91.6 per cent of one-year-olds were fully vaccinated, a drop from 94.8 per cent in 2020. Two-year-olds were less likely to be fully vaccinated, with 89.4 per cent in 2024, a 2.7 per cent drop from 2020. By age five, 92.7 per cent of children were vaccinated in 2024, compared to 94.9 per cent in 2020. Fully vaccinated coverage for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children continued to decrease in 2024 at all three age milestones. But the largest drop was recorded at 24 months of age, with coverage declining by 4.5 per cent since 2020. "Australia has high vaccination rates when you look globally, but our rates have fallen alarmingly," Dwyer said. "This requires a positive campaign that makes people feel comfortable and yes, makes them feel a little guilty if they haven't done the best by their child by vaccinating them." The national immunisation strategy aims to increase vaccination uptake across Australia over the next five years by reducing vaccine hesitancy and improving access. The plan outlines priority areas, including enhancing vaccine access in First Nations communities, strengthening the immunisation workforce, and building trust. It also lists priority groups with conditions that put them at a greater risk of contracting or experiencing severe outcomes from vaccine-preventable diseases. This includes the elderly, pregnant women and children. James Trauer, the head of epidemiological modelling at Monash University's School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, told SBS News these communities, especially those who may not be eligible for certain vaccines, are the most vulnerable. "For some infectious diseases, you are really looking to rely on vaccination coverage to totally eliminate the disease or reduce its severity," he said. "If your vaccination coverage falls below a certain level, you get outbreaks." "For lots of infectious diseases, you get substantial immunity against infection through the vaccine, and you can totally control them and even reach elimination for many infectious diseases just by reaching high enough coverage," Trauer said. While 'herd immunity' cannot "totally protect" people from some viruses, such as COVID-19, he said others, like measles, can be "eliminated" from the population. Trauer said each vaccine has specific guidelines for the optimal age at which it should be given to a child. He said it's essential to consult a specialist about your options. "I would absolutely recommend that anyone in that situation go and see somebody with expertise in that area. "It is often possible and advisable to get some sort of catch-up schedule, particularly for the most important infectious diseases."
Zawya
12-06-2025
- Health
- Zawya
Kenya Bolsters Immunisation Drive as Cabinet Secretary (CS) Hon. Aden Duale Flags Off 6.2 Million Vaccine Doses to Counties
Health Cabinet Secretary Hon. Aden Duale today flagged off 3 million doses of BCG (used to prevent tuberculosis) and 3.2 million doses of Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) at Afya House, Nairobi, marking a major boost to Kenya's national immunisation programme. During the flag-off, the CS called on all county governments—through the Council of Governors (CoG) and their County Executive Committee Members (CECMs) for Health—to prioritise the collection of the vaccines from regional depots and ensure timely distribution to health facilities, particularly in remote and underserved areas. Hon. Duale commended the government for moving with urgency to facilitate the delivery of the vaccines, describing it as a strong demonstration of Kenya's commitment to safeguarding the health of its children. He acknowledged immunisation partners, including UNICEF, for their rapid procurement and delivery of the vaccines, and reaffirmed the Ministry's commitment to working closely with all stakeholders to minimise disruptions and sustain the country's immunisation momentum. Parents and Caregivers across the country are encouraged to visit local health facilities to have their children vaccinated and catch up on any missed doses. The CS was joined by Principal Secretaries Dr. Ouma Oluga (Medical Services) and Ms. Mary Muthoni (Public Health and Professional Standards), Director General for Health Dr. Patrick Amoth, CoG CEO Ms. Mary Mwiti, and representatives from UNICEF and the World Health Organization. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Health, Kenya.
ABC News
11-06-2025
- Health
- ABC News
New immunisation plan to tackle drop in childhood vaccination rates
The federal government has revealed plans to tackle declining childhood vaccination rates with the launch of a new immunisation plan. It follows warnings from experts in recent months about the risk to herd immunity in Australia for some preventable diseases. In launching the National Immunisation Strategy on Thursday, Health Minister Mark Butler will tell a communicable diseases and immunisation conference: "The new strategy comes at a critical time. "Even though our childhood vaccination rates are still world leading, we cannot take this for granted," Mr Butler will say in a speech seen by the ABC. The plan sets a goal of increasing immunisation uptake around Australia over the next five years by reducing vaccine hesitancy and improving access. "Through this strategy, we will reduce the impact of vaccine-preventable diseases through high uptake of immunisation that is safe, effective and equitable across Australia," Mr Butler will say. Several priority areas have been identified as crucial to increasing immunisation coverage, including building trust in vaccines. First Nations communities will also be a key focus as they have lower vaccination rates than the rest of the Australian population for almost every vaccine. "The urgency of the COVID-19 pandemic … highlighted clear needs for more equitable access to vaccination, particularly for individuals with disability, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, rural and remote Australians, disadvantaged communities and CALD communities," the strategy reads. The public health agency focused on vaccine-preventable diseases, the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance, helped develop the plan. Its director, Kristine Macartney, said key to improving vaccine coverage is tracking public sentiment, especially in priority groups such as First Nations communities, older people, infants and children, people with disability and residents in rural, remote and regional areas. "We can do better at ensuring that partnerships are made with the community to really share information, share knowledge and address access or acceptance gaps," Professor Macartney said. "There's an important element to understanding an individual's journey through the healthcare system to say, is this working for you to go and get your vaccines? Do you have the information and the access and the support from healthcare professionals and healthcare system that you would like to be able to take vaccines up?" A real-time dashboard of coverage data for all Australian government-funded vaccines has also been flagged, which could publish up-to-date coverage data by "age group, scheduled vaccines, dose, socio-demographic detail, race and ethnicity, and pregnancy status". Vaccination experts have told the ABC that dashboard would be "best practice", if it is well developed. A no-fault vaccine compensation scheme will also be explored, similar to broader vaccine injury compensation systems in place in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, United States, Japan and South Korea. Australia implemented a claims scheme for people who suffered a moderate to severe impact following an adverse reaction to a COVID-19 vaccine. The new strategy emphasises vaccines are "overwhelmingly safe with only very rare serious adverse events", but broad compensation schemes should be accessible.
Reuters
11-06-2025
- Health
- Reuters
Vaccine group Gavi seeks to broaden donor base as aid budgets shrink
RABAT, June 11 (Reuters) - Global vaccine group Gavi is seeking new donors for its work funding childhood immunisation in the world's poorest countries, its chief executive told Reuters, as many traditional funders cut international aid budgets. Gavi is aiming to raise $9 billion at a summit in Brussels later this month for its work from 2026-2030, but countries including the United States, the United Kingdom and France have all signalled that they plan to slash global aid funding in the coming years, and their pledges remain uncertain. "We want to broaden our donor base," Gavi's Sania Nishtar told Reuters in Rabat, where she met officials to encourage Morocco to join as a new donor. She said that India and Indonesia, which had previously been supported by Gavi, were now contributing as donors to the organization, which works with low and middle-income countries to buy vaccines for diseases from measles to cholera. Other countries like Portugal have also increased their funding commitment, she said. During her Morocco visit, Nishtar toured a vaccine manufacturing facility near Casablanca under development by Marbio, a biopharmaceutical venture backed by Morocco. She said the plant had "a good chance" of benefiting from Gavi's $1.2 billion African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator, a scheme aimed at boosting vaccine production on the continent. Gavi has already sought out more private sector donors, initiated cost-saving initiatives, and discussed closer collaboration with other global health groups as part of plans to try to tackle potential shortfalls in funding. Nishtar said the organization was making contingency plans, but she hoped that donors at the June 25 summit would give enough that they would not be needed. A U.S. government document showed in March that the U.S., which has previously given around $300 million to Gavi annually, did not plan any future funding. Nishtar said that Gavi has not yet received this year's funding, which has already been approved by Congress. Gavi is currently focused on combating a global measles outbreak and is responding to cholera outbreaks in Sudan, South Sudan, and Angola, where it has made special arrangements to supply vaccines from its stockpiles, Nishtar said. It is also supporting Sierra Leone, where the spread of mpox has accelerated.
Telegraph
10-06-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Vaccine sceptic RFK Jr disbands government advisory committee on immunisations
Robert F Kennedy Jr, the US Health Secretary and a prominent vaccine sceptic, has dismissed all 17 members of a committee that issues official government recommendations on immunisations. In an editorial in the Wall Street Journal, Mr Kennedy claimed that 'retiring' the Advisory Committee on Immunisation Practices (ACIP) was necessary to help rebuild trust in vaccines and ensure 'unbiased' health recommendations. 'The committee has been plagued with persistent conflicts of interest and has become little more than a rubber stamp for any vaccine,' he said, adding that he wanted to 'ensure the American people receive the safest vaccines possible'. The move – which some committee members found out about via the media – has been widely criticised by public health experts and scientists, who point to Mr Kennedy's long track record questioning the efficacy and safety of vaccines, sometimes based on dubious science. 'We have just watched politics bury science,' said Dr Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota. 'If you look at [Kennedy's] accusation that he's doing this because of growing problems with vaccine trust – well, that's kind of like an arsonist complaining that so many houses are on fire,' Dr Osterholm said. 'He's the one that's been seeding these doubts for the last decade.' Since he became the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Mr Kennedy has taken a number of controversial decisions related to vaccines – including from bypassing ACIP to issue new Covid vaccine guidance, to stopping adverts for seasonal influenza shots and cancelling a $766 million contract with Moderna to develop a bird flu jab for humans. Now, Mr Kennedy has claimed the ACIP needs a complete overhaul because members have too many conflicts of interest, and are immersed 'in a system of industry-aligned incentives and paradigms that enforce a narrow pro-industry orthodoxy'. But his move appears to directly contradict promises given during his confirmation hearings. Bill Cassidy, a Republican Senator from Louisiana who is also a doctor, said he only voted for the appointment after Mr Kennedy committed to maintain ACIP 'without changes'. 'Of course, now the fear is that the Acip will be filled up with people who know nothing about vaccines except suspicion,' Mr Cassidy wrote on X on Monday. 'I've just spoken with Secretary Kennedy, and I'll continue to talk with him to ensure this is not the case.' In a statement, Dr Bruce A Scott, executive director of the American Public Health Association, added that Mr Kennedy's move would help drive an increase in vaccine-preventable diseases, at a time when vaccine coverage is declining across America. 'Today's action to remove the 17 sitting members of ACIP undermines that trust and upends a transparent process that has saved countless lives,' Dr Scott said. 'Rapid destruction' of critical oversight The committee is attached to the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) and included 17 experts – including epidemiologists, infectious disease doctors, vaccine experts and paediatricians – who typically serve overlapping four-year terms. Eight of the members were appointed in January 2025. But it has been in flux since Mr Kennedy assumed office, with its first meeting delayed by the department, before the Health Secretary announced new Covid-19 recommendations in a video posted on social media – unilaterally changing the guidance without an ACIP consultation. Still, retiring all panellists – and deleting a webpage listing the members – has come as a shock to some. Dr Noel Brewer, a professor in public health at the University of North Carolina who was a member of the ACIP, told the Telegraph his removal was 'very unexpected,' given he was meant to serve for three more years. He added that he heard about it only when 'received a copy of the Wall Street Journal article from a journalist', and later received an email confirming it at 5:48pm. 'The most immediate impact of this action is to destroy trust among healthcare providers in ACIP,' said Dr Brewer, a behavioural scientist who specialises in research about why people do or don't get vaccinated. 'The top priority right now is to restore trust in ACIP recommendations. If that is not possible, then it is time for medical organisations to create an alternative vaccine advisory committee for the nation.' On this, there has already been some progress. Earlier this year, CIDRAP launched the Vaccine Integrity Project, which aims to facilitate conversations and offer advice about US vaccine policy – almost like a version of ACIP that's not aligned to the government. 'When I started the vaccine integrity project, there were a lot of doubters that anything of major consequence would happen… [especially after] Kennedy promised in his Senate hearings that he would not take vaccines away from anyone,' said Dr Osterholm. 'Well, look at all this change. 'We are watching the very rapid destruction of critically important vaccine evaluation oversight efforts of the US government, both at the FDA [Food and Drug Administration] and the CDC. These are committees that have performed marvellously well.' He added: 'It's terribly significant. The real victims are the public, specifically young children, who are going to face a very different world of vaccine preventable diseases than even a decade ago… I don't know what happens next, but it doesn't bode well.'
