Parents and Carers are being urged to ensure children are up to date with their immunisations before the start of the school year.
Director of Health Protection at NSW Health, Richard Broome said that while the NSW vaccination rate was high, some children had missed important vaccines which protected against highly infectious diseases like whooping cough and measles.
“Last year and this year continue to be challenging for many families, especially given the global COVID-19 pandemic but timely childhood vaccination must remain a top priority in the daily lives of busy families,” Dr Broome said.
“Despite 95 per cent of NSW children being fully vaccinated, in 2019 we saw a number of measles alerts issued across the State,” he said.
“We are urging parents to book in early, beat the rush and be sure their children are fully up-to-date.”
Dr Broome reminded parents and carers with children starting childcare, primary or secondary school this year that their child’s immunisation history needed to be provided to the school.
“Children can only be enrolled in childcare where documented evidence is provided that they are fully immunised for their age, are on a recognised catch-up schedule or have a medical reason not be vaccinated,” he said.
“Making sure that all children are up to date with their immunisations reduces their risk of getting a serious illness and also helps those who can’t be fully vaccinated, like newborn babies and the elderly.”
Dr Broome said parents and carers could download their child’s immunisation statement from the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) via myGov, the Medicare Express Plus App or the AIR enquiry line on 1800 653 809.
