Government must fund childhood pneumoccocal vaccine
AMA President, Dr Bill Glasson, today urged the Federal Government to fully fund the Australian Standard Vaccination Schedule (ASVS) recommended by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), which includes pneumococcal vaccine for children.
Dr Glasson said a national vaccination program to address pneumococcal disease in young children would cost around $27.4 million in the first year.
"Meningococcal C infection, which is less common than pneumococcal disease in children, has been funded on the Government's national vaccination program at a cost $41 million in its first year.
"The AMA encourages the Government to continue funding the meningococcal vaccine and to urgently fund the childhood pneumococcal vaccine.
"The childhood pneumococcal vaccine is one of many vaccines which remains unfunded by the Government even though it has been recommended by the NHMRC, the Government's own advisory Committee.
"Parents who want to act on scientific advice now have to pay more than $500 to fully immunise their children.
"The AMA acknowledges the Government's outstanding achievement of raising the rate of fully immunised Australian children from just over 50 per cent to nearly 90 per cent since 1996.
"But the Government's failure to fully fund the recommended vaccine schedule risks immunisation levels falling to unacceptably low levels again.
"We must not allow this to happen," Dr Glasson said.
The AMA has written to the Prime Minister asking the Government to fund the pneumococcal vaccine for children.
CONTACT: Judith Tokley (02) 6270 5471 / (0408) 824 306