Australian Medical Association

Please find below information relating to the use of 2010 seasonal influenza vaccine in children.

Updated advice: On 26 August 2010, the Department of Health and Ageing and the Therapeutic Goods Administration advised that CSL has withdrawn Panvax® Junior 0.25mL pre-filled syringes because of a reduction in vaccine antigen potency over time.  The registered 12 month shelf life of Panvax® Junior 0.25mL pre-filled syringes is no longer accurate and has been reduced to 6 months.  As a result existing stocks of Panvax® Junior should now be considered expired. The safety of the vaccine is not affected.

Important: Please note that the Commonwealth Chief Medical Officer's advice in relation to adverse reactions to 2010 seasonal influenza vaccine in children has changed as of 30 July 2010.

The Chief Medical Officer has today advised that children aged from 6 months to less than 5 years may be vaccinated with Vaxigrip® and Influvac®, following a discussion of the risks and benefits of these vaccines with parents and guardians.  This includes both children at risk of medical complications of influenza and healthy children.  Vaccination of children in this age group with Fluvax® and Fluvax® Junior is not recommended due to the identified increase risk of febrile convulsions.  Recommendations for the use of seasonal influenza vaccine including Fluvax® in children 5 years and older and in adults has not changed.

The CMO’s advice follows ongoing investigations in Australia and overseas which have indicated that there does not appear to be the higher than normal incidence of febrile convulsions in children under five with the seasonal flu vaccines Influvac and Vaxigrip. Investigations into fever and febrile convulsions associated with the vaccine Fluvax are continuing.

Due to a spike in the numbers of young children in Western Australia experiencing fever and convulsions following seasonal flu vaccinations, Australia's Chief Medical Officer, Professor Jim Bishop, is advising all GPs and immunisation providers to stop giving seasonal flu vaccine to children five years and under until a cause is established.

"This is a precautionary measure while the matter is being urgently investigated by health experts and the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA)," Professor Bishop said.

"Until it can be established what factors are causing the apparent rise in fevers in some children in WA, I am writing to all immunisation providers to advise them not to administer seasonal flu vaccine to all children 5 years of age and under until further notice."

The appropriate physical, emotional and intellectual development of Australian children and young people is crucial to their later health as adults. A range of factors can impact on developmental health. This position statement brings together recent information and evidence about appropriate developmental health, and makes recommendations about the measures the AMA believes are necessary to ensure it.

Many people make the decision to have a part of their body pierced. Body piercing can have potential health consequences, some of them quite serious. This new brochure in the AMA youth health series, outlines some of the potential health problems of piercing, and provides advice on important questions to ask in order to avoid those problems.

Body image describes how an individual conceptualises his or her physical appearance. The body image a person has results from the interaction between the person’s thoughts, beliefs, feelings and behaviours regarding their own body, and their perception of what counts as the ideal body within their own social and cultural setting. Unhealthy body image can affect men and women, children and the elderly from all backgrounds.

Youth Health: Cannabis and your health

AMA Position Statement: Child Abuse and Neglect - 1996. Revised 2005

What is stress?

Stress is a normal part of everyday life. It is the way our bodies respond to events which are stressful and could be a threat. Crossing the road can become stressful if a car speeds towards us. Once we sense the danger of the oncoming car, the body releases adrenaline, which speeds everything up. Our heart beats faster, we breathe more quickly, we may sweat more or get ‘butterflies’ in our stomach. The brain sends a signal to the body to do something. In this case it would be to run and get out of the way.

What causes stress?

Youth Health: Food

Towards a National Policy for Child Abuse and Recovery

This position statement focuses on the effects of poor health on the educational attainment of Indigenous people, and the reciprocal impacts of poor education on health. A number of recommendations are made to address this relationship.

Youth Health: Fitness

Youth Health: Feeling Down?

Youth Health: Drugs

Alcohol is one of the most commonly used drugs in Australia. People drink to relax, celebrate, have fun, gain confidence and forget problems. It is a depressant drug, which means it slows down the activity of the brain and the central nervous system. In moderation alcohol is not harmful to most people. However, excessive drinking can cause a number of social, personal and health problems. When people are not 100% in control of their speech, movement and judgement it can lead to accidents, drink driving,

Youth Health: Smoking

Youth Health: Gambling and your health

Youth Health: Sex and your health

Youth Health: Doctors

AMA Position Statement: Health of Young People - 1998

Over a number of years the AMA has produced a range of brochures designed to inform people about issues that effect their health and well-being. A number of these brochures target young people.

Links to online versions of these brochures are provided below.