Ninety-five per cent of children living in Hobsons Bay and Maribyrnong will need to be immunised by the time they start school under a new state government push to boost the state’s vaccination rates.
The government believes the best way to protect children from preventable diseases is to lift Victoria’s average vaccination rates from 93 per cent to 95 per cent.
Latest government figures reveal that as of December last year, 93.65 per cent of five-year-olds in Hobsons Bay were fully immunised, while 93.1 per cent of children starting school in Maribyrnong had received all their vaccinations.
Health Minister David Davis said immunisations were the best defence against illness and death from vaccine-preventable diseases.
“Starting school means that children are in contact with a larger number of people, which can expose them to a range of potentially dangerous diseases, so making sure they are fully immunised is the best protection we can give them,” he said.
South Western Melbourne Medicare Local chief executive Linda Kensington said some children went unimmunised because their parents were busy and forgot to attend appointments, while others did not understand when their children were meant to be vaccinated.
She said some parents were reluctant to vaccinate their children, believing immunisations would harm them.
Western suburbs mum Tasha David said parents had the right to chose whether or not they vaccinated their children.
The mother of eight children, who is a member of an anti-immunisation group, vaccinated her six eldest children but chose not to immunise the other two.
Ms David said she decided not to vaccinate her two youngest children after those who had been vaccinated developed behavioural and learning problems.
“It was a clear-cut decision for us. The two who are unvaccinated are completely healthy,” she said. “It was definitely the right decision for my family.”
Australian Academy of Science president Suzanne Cory urged parents to base their decisions on the best scientific evidence available. Professor Cory said studies had ruled out links between vaccinations and health problems, such as autism.
