NEW data from the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS) has shown continued decrease in childhood vaccination coverage and declining uptake of human papillomavirus (HPV) and meningococcal vaccination in adolescents.
In 2025, fully vaccinated coverage in children fell from 2020 levels to 90.5% at 12 months, 88.4% at 24 months and 92.5% at 60 months of age.
Meanwhile, there has been a global resurgence of measles and pertussis (whooping cough) cases, with higher rates of disease notifications in Australia since 2024.
"These data highlight a growing number of missed or delayed vaccinations across multiple age groups, meaning year on year, tens of thousands of young children are without protection against diseases that we know are still a real and serious risk," said NCIRS director Professor Kristine Macartney.
Older adult vaccination coverage generally continued to climb in 2025 but was still relatively low, with pneumococcal vaccination in people aged 70 years and above at only 48.0%.
Vaccination rates among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and adolescents also declined over the years since 2020, and while childhood vaccination rates compared favourably overall to the general population, meningococcal and HPV vaccination rates were lower.
With missed childhood vaccinations now driven more by beliefs and concerns about vaccines than access issues, such as booking vaccination appointments and costs (PD 19 Feb), Professor Macartney emphasised the importance of working collaboratively with key stakeholders to address the issues.
"It is now time to strengthen coordination and implementation of key actions - including community-led outreach, expanded support for trusted provider conversations, more transparent and actionable data, and convenient, client-focused immunisation services - to restore confidence, close equity gaps and protect Australians from these awful and entirely preventable diseases into the future," Professor Macartney concluded.
In response to the report, PSA vaccination ambassador Anna Theophilos highlighted the need for national consistency in access to vaccines, scope of practice, funding pathways and age eligibility to improve vaccination coverage, with the current variation by state creating confusion for pharmacists, patients and the broader health system.
"If we truly want to lift coverage and prevent avoidable outbreaks, we need to remove all barriers," Theophilos said.
"All ages. All vaccines. All states."
Read the report HERE. KB
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