$113 million not much to ask for full vaccination of Aussie kids
AMA President, Dr Bill Glasson, today described the Government's failure to fully fund its own recommended vaccination schedule as a big negative.
Dr Glasson said funding the pneumococcal vaccine for children, the varicella (chicken pox) vaccine and an improved polio vaccine (IPV) would cost $113 million, effectively doubling the Government's current commitment to vaccinating children.
Universal childhood pneumococcal vaccination, varicella and IPV, are all on the Australian Standard Vaccination Schedule (ASVS) after being recommended by the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) and approved by the Government's National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) at its September 2003 meeting.
"The Government's refusal to fund these vaccines for all Australian children means there are now two vaccination schedules in Australia," Dr Glasson said.
"We've got the ASVS which is recommended but not fully funded by the Government, and we've got the National Immunisation Program, which is fully funded but does not include universal pneumococcal, IPV or varicella for all children.
"Confused? Imagine how parents must feel when faced with this information," Dr Glasson said.
Parents who fully vaccinate their children in line with ATAGI recommendations have to pay $150 per dose for pneumococcal (3 doses), $53 for varicella (1 dose), $14 per dose for IPV (4 doses).
"Clearly, many families will have trouble coming up with this sort of money. By not funding the full schedule, the Government is saying to parents that immunisation is not important," Dr Glasson said.
"Previously, the Maternity Immunisation Allowance and the Child Care Benefit were linked to the recommended schedule. It's now linked to the funded schedule. This could lead to a drop in immunisation rates.
"The rate rose from just over 53 per cent to over 85 per cent after these financial benefits were linked to immunisation status under former Health Minister, Dr Michael Wooldridge.
"Pneumococcal vaccine could be available to all Australian children for an extra $64 million a year.
"Pneumococcal disease is often untreatable due to antibiotic resistance. But it is vaccine preventable. It is responsible for around 3,500 hospital admissions and 400 deaths in Australia each year. These figures include adults and children. Children under two years are most susceptible to the disease.
"Children who survive invasive pneumococcal infection, which is a notifiable disease, often need long-term care. Many are intellectually disabled or developmentally delayed. But more often, in less serious cases, many have learning and social problems due to hearing loss from ear infections caused by pneumococcal disease.
"It is imperative that the infection is prevented through fully funded childhood vaccination," Dr Glasson said.
CONTACT: John Flannery (02) 6270 5477 / (0419) 494 761
Judith Tokley (02) 6270 5471 / (0408) 824 306