Pertussis protection
November 28, 2011
THE Department of Health has
launched a new public health
campaign centered around
pertussis (whooping cough).
The campaign aims to provide
parents and healthcare providers of
newborns with the latest advice on
what they can do to protect babies
from whooping cough, including
how they can become better at
identifying the disease, how babies
can be protected, and how to help
prevent whooping cough from
spreading.
The campaign will include a mailout
to new parents, whilst GPs and
other immunisation providers will
be provided supplementary
education workshops.
MEANWHILE the Govt has also
announced a reform of Australia’s
childhood immunisation
arrangements with the aim of
increasing the immunisation rates
of Australian children over time.
As a result of the reforms
families will now need to have
their children fully immunised to
receive the $726 Family Tax Benefit
Part A end-of-year supplement.
Other changes include the
introduction of a new
immunisation check for children at
two and five years of age, whilst
children will for the first time be
required to receive vaccines for
meningococcal C, pneumococcal
and varicella (chicken pox).
A combination vaccine will also
replace individual doses of vaccine
for measles, mumps, rubella and
chicken pox – which means children
will be immunised against measles,
mumps and rubella earlier, at 18mths
instead of the current four years.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 28 Nov 11To see the full newsletter, see the embedded issue below or CLICK HERE to download Pharmacy Daily from 28 Nov 11
