There have been 2,793 confirmed cases of whooping cough so far this year – and, tragically, five infant deaths due to the infection.
Measles, once on the brink of eradication, has resurged, exacerbated by the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic interfering with routine vaccination programs.
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The resurgence of measles and whooping cough is troubling. The most effective way to prevent the return and spread of vaccine-preventable diseases is through vaccination and combating vaccine hesitancy.
One in three infants is not immunised against pertussis. For Māori babies, more than half are at risk from the potentially deadly infection. But there are relatively simple things we can do.
Relentless coughing after a viral infection can be frustrating and worrisome, but in most cases, coughs resolve over time.
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Some coughs can last for weeks or even months following an upper respiratory infection. The good news – albeit not very satisfying – is that most eventually go away on their own.
You no longer have to go to your GP to get your flu shot or catch up on vaccinations you missed earlier in life or have waning immunity to. But they’re unlikely to be free.
The kinds of vaccines adults need depend on several factors, including whether you were born here, how old you are and whether you intend to travel overseas.
Two-thirds of children have already received antibiotics by the time they are one year old.
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Prospective parents, aware of how devastating whooping cough can be, want to leave no stone unturned to protect their baby. But is No Vax, No Visit supported by the best evidence?
Given the increasing number of vaccines recommended for adolescents and adults in Australia, the newly announced initiatives are a very good idea.
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Tucked away in the budget papers is an intitiative worthy of applause – the establishment of an adult immunisation register and the expansion of the childhood register to include adolescents.
From January, conscientious objectors to vaccine will lose up to $15,000 of childcare and family tax rebates.
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Australia is unique in using parental financial incentives for immunisation.
Removing the childcare rebate for parents who do not fully immunise their children is unnecessarily punitive and could have repercussions.
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Immunisation in Australia isn’t compulsory – and doesn’t need to be controversial. Most Australians recognise the incredible benefits that vaccination provides to prevent serious disease.
Do more non-medical vaccine exemptions mean a higher incidence of disease?
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In the US the risk of getting measles or dying from influenza is greater than the risk of getting Ebola.
Jaime R Carrero/Reuters
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Professor, Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; Head of Epidemiology, International Vaccine Access Center, Johns Hopkins University