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Australia surpasses childhood immunisation benchmark


Paul Hayes


3/05/2021 1:14:55 PM

The country’s parents ‘continue to show their confidence in vaccinations’.

Child about to receive injection
Experts had previously urged parents to ensure children remain immunised against preventable diseases during the COVID pandemic.

Issues with Australia’s COVID vaccine rollout have not extended to other areas of vaccination, with the country notching record rates of childhood immunisations in the first quarter of 2021.
 
The coverage rate of 95.22% for five-year-old children surpasses the national goal of 95%, which the Federal Government says gives Australia the herd immunity needed to stop the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases.
 
The coverage for five-year-olds also exceeds the estimated World Health Organization (WHO) international average immunisation coverage rate of 86%.
 
Across Australia, the coverage rate for one-year-old children increased to 94.91% for the 12 months to March 2021, while two-year-old children have a coverage rate of 92.53%.
 
Coverage among five-year-old Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children is even higher, at 97.26%, and 91.73% for two-year-olds and 93.7% for one-year-olds. 

Experts last year urged parents to ensure children remain immunised against preventable diseases during the COVID pandemic.

‘It’s at times like the COVID-19 crisis that we see the long-term benefits of such programs, but we can’t let our guard down on immunisation because we’re fighting the COVID-19 battle,’ Felicity Wever, Director of International Programs at UNICEF Australia, said at the time.

‘Good health and hygiene is our best defence and everyone has a role to play.’
 
Australian childhood immunisation rates December 2020 to March 2021

  • New South Wales – 95.04%
  • Victoria – 96.18%
  • Queensland – 94.72%
  • South Australia – 95.6%
  • Western Australia – 94.18%
  • Tasmania – 94.99%
  • Northern Territory – 94.66%
  • Australian Capital Territory – 95.6%
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