Latest news with #immunisation
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Measles surge shows why vaccinations are crucial
The increase in measles cases among young people in the UK, which has already led to one death in Liverpool, is worrying and tragic (Parents urged to get children vaccinated after measles death in Liverpool, 13 July). Vaccines alone don't save lives, vaccination does. And although we have safe and effective vaccines available in the UK, uptake is too low to unlock the large societal benefits that vaccination can bring. Immunisation uptake across adult, adolescent and childhood vaccines has decreased in the UK and internationally for almost every vaccine (UK worst in G7 for MMR jab rates, as 30m children worldwide not fully immunised, 15 July). This should raise major alarms for global health. There is misinformation and vaccine hesitancy, and we face a lack of knowledge regarding the importance of vaccines. We also need to deliver vaccines beyond standard healthcare settings. The UK's school-based human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine programme for adolescents has been successful in increasing uptake, and similar programmes for childhood and adult vaccines in equivalent settings could be trialled. The government's 10‑year NHS plan proposes a new health visitor model to encourage vaccinations in communities. This is a commendable step towards increasing vaccination uptake. It could also help address broader issues around misinformation, hesitancy and inequalities in uptake. This, along with taking a long-term view to prevention, are critical components of revitalising uptake and protecting public BrasselSenior principal economist, Office of Health Economics It is heartbreaking that some children are seriously sick and a child has died from measles. Vaccines are the most successful and effective public health measures against infectious diseases. Measles is a highly contagious acute viral respiratory infection that is a primary cause of morbidity and mortality among infants and children under five, especially those with a compromised immune system or malnourished. Measles can lead to serious complications such as pneumonia, encephalitis, dehydration, ear infections, diarrhoea and irreversible vision loss. More than 90% of susceptible individuals around an infected person can catch the virus. Vaccine hesitancy is one of the top 10 global health threats, on par with climate change, HIV/Aids and lethal pathogens. It's time to raise awareness about the importance of vaccinations in combating infectious diseases, saving lives and protecting children, families and Munjed Farid Al QutobWillesden Green, London Melanie Pilcher of the Early Years Alliance says of children in nurseries who are not vaccinated against measles: 'It wouldn't be right to turn children away because it is a parental choice at the end of the day, and we have to respect that' (Nurseries in England bring in Covid-style protocols as measles cases rise, 19 July). No, you do not have to respect that choice because it is a shortsighted, dangerous and potentially deadly choice. Dangerous to the parents' own child and to the children around that child. In response, public health authorities must step up neighbourhood vaccination clinics, bringing the vaccine to families rather than demanding that families come to clinics. Matthew K BelmonteSheffield Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
The Independent
3 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
NHS to roll out new vital jab for premature babies
The NHS in England will roll out a new jab, nirsevimab, this autumn to protect premature babies from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). From late September, the single-dose injection will be offered to infants born before 32 weeks, providing six months of protection and replacing previous monthly injections. Experts anticipate the drug will offer a 'protective bubble' for thousands of vulnerable infants, significantly reducing their risk of severe illness and hospitalisation from RSV. Approximately 9,000 babies across the UK, including those in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, are expected to benefit from this new immunisation programme. Trial data indicates nirsevimab offers over 80 per cent protection against RSV, a common virus responsible for around 30,000 hospital admissions and 30 deaths among youngsters in the UK annually.
RNZ News
5 days ago
- Health
- RNZ News
Top doctor Caroline McElnay says 'no' to vaccination doesn't always mean 'never'
The outgoing clinical lead for immunisation at the National Public Health Service, Dr Caroline McElnay. Photo: Pool / Stuff / Robert Kitchin The high-profile public health doctor stepping down as head of the country's immunisation programmes believes the government's target is achievable - but only if health providers can gain the trust of vaccine-sceptical parents. A decade ago, New Zealand's childhood immunisation rates were the envy of the world, with 93 percent of all children fully-vaccinated by the age of two. Rates among Pacific children were 97 percent, and Māori tamariki were level-pegging with Pākehā on 92 percent. After falling off a cliff since then, overall rates are inching back towards 80 percent - but some experts warn the growing number of 'declines' makes the government's 2030 target of 95 percent coverage a mathematical impossibility. The outgoing clinical lead for immunisation at the National Public Health Service, Dr Caroline McElnay, reckoned it was possible, although she would not be here to see it. After just seven months in the role, she is off to Australia to take up the position of Victoria's Chief Health Officer. Speaking to RNZ on Wednesday, her last day in the job, McElnay agreed "if you don't get those declines down, you're not going to get 95 percent, that's simple mathematics". "But we are tracking upwards in terms of our coverage." The focus needed to be on understanding more about those declines. "We do know already that about a third of those people who we currently call 'declines' do get vaccinated, so they're not real declines. "We want to understand better what sits under those declines and I think by doing that piece of work we will reduce that category. "We know historically and across the world that getting to less than 5 percent [people actively declining to be vaccinated] may not be possible. But we will do everything we can to get there." Dr Caroline McElnay fronts a Covid update alongside Dr Ashley Bloomfield in 2019. Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King Back in 2014, she was working in Hawke's Bay, which had the highest immunisation coverage of any region at the time. "We actually got to 97 percent, and we were equitable across the board. It's been dropping since then, but we know the system is able to offer vaccinations to everyone, we just need to get back to the point where everyone is able to get these opportunities." Director of Public Health between 2017 and 2022, McElnay became a familiar face and voice to New Zealanders during the Covid-19 pandemic, often fronting updates alongside then-Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and then-Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield. Covid-19 had accelerated those plummeting immunisation rates, both through disruption to normal business-as-usual, loss of trust in government services and growing vaccine scepticism, McElnay said. "Like other countries, we're seeing vaccine hesitancy. That was happening already before Covid, and there are different reasons for that." The high rates in 2014 and 2015 were the result of a "very focused" effort by everyone, from primary care and the community, hospitals and emergency departments, she said. "Everyone was behind it because they could see value of vaccination. It was just slow, hard work by many people." Work at the time showed not everyone coded as 'declines' had fixed views. "We contacted them all: some were genuinely saying 'I've made my mind up, please don't contact me again'. "Others said 'I've actually been waiting for the health service to get in touch with me'. "Sometimes they wanted to wait until their babies were older than six weeks. "Many times, conversations with those people resulted in them getting their children vaccinated. "That's how I know they are not all genuine 'declines', it's a mixture." A doctor applies a plaster following an injection. Photo: CDC In the first three months of this year, 79.3 percent of two-year-olds were fully vaccinated, while 8.2 percent 'declined'. McElnay said when it came to combating vaccine hesitancy, there was no "one size fits all" approach. "People decline and delay for different reasons, which are deeply personal and specific to their own contexts." Anti-vaccination messages being spread via social media could only be countered by "trusted messengers", in her experience. "For some reason people are believing these [online] individuals or getting attached to those messengers that they know nothing about. "Yet we know that when it comes to making health decisions for your children, both local and international research shows you make those decisions based on information from people in your life that you trust." Due to the decline in trust in government agencies, the best strategy was to support communities, and Māori and Pacific providers, to build up their skills and opportunities to have those critical conversations about immunisation. The government's two-year $50 million package to help Māori health providers boost immunisation rates across the life-span, announced in December 2023, was having an impact, McElnay said. "Sometimes the first encounter doesn't result in vaccination, but we get there in the end." Iwi health providers taking mobile vaccination teams into rural areas in 2022. Photo: Supplied Different groups had different perceptions about the risk presented by certain diseases, she said. For instance, parents of young people going off to university were often very worried about meningococcal disease and focused on ensuring their teenagers were vaccinated. "But they may not feel the same way about measles, for instance." That variable perception of risk was "driving some of that hesitancy". "The less you see of a disease, the more likely you are to question whether you need to be vaccinated. But if you've seen a baby with whooping cough, I think you'll make up your mind very quickly that you need your baby to be vaccinated against whooping cough." The Aotearoa Immunisation Register was getting "better and better" in terms of producing fine-grained data on what was happening with different age groups and vaccine types. "It's progressed in leaps and bounds, even in the six months I've been back working with Health NZ. "That's information we can then feed back to local providers to target any patches of under-coverage, and as time goes by, we will be much better able to analyse that data by vaccine, provider etc." The childhood immunisation schedule was "the bedrock" of New Zealand's immunisation programme. While sometimes a measles case popping up could be "a call to arms" and a push for those who may have missed vaccinations to get done, the whole system relied on a systematic rollout. "We have new babies joining the cohort all the time, the two-year-olds from the end of March will be a different group by the end of October. "So we need to be focused on childhood immunisations all the time." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
7 days ago
- Health
- RNZ News
Fifth case of measles confirmed in Wairarapa
Health NZ says there is no increased measles risk to the public. Photo: AFP / nobeastsofierce / Science Photo Library A fifth case of measles has been confirmed in Wairarapa. The case [ was linked to others associated with a family that recently returned from overseas, Health NZ confirmed. It was possible there could be further linked cases to still be confirmed. Dr Craig Thornley, medical officer of health, said the latest case had been isolating to prevent the spread of the disease. He said there was no increased risk to the public or new locations of interest identified from the outbreak. People who visited Masterton Pak n Save on the mornings of 1 and 3 July and Carterton Library on 3 July should still monitor for measles symptoms. Health NZ asked locals to get themselves and their children immunised. As of 14 July, 81.5 percent of children aged 1 to 5 years old in the Wairarapa were fully immunised against measles, while about 89 percent of those aged 6-18 were. Health NZ this was still well short of the 95 percent needed for herd immunity to ensure protection for everyone against future outbreaks. "With outbreaks happening in many popular travel destinations such as the US, Canada, the UK, Vietnam, Thailand and India, people who have travelled for the school holidays and aren't fully immunised with the MMR vaccine, risk bringing it back into the country," Thornley said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
14-07-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
Vaccine hesitancy growing in at-risk communities, providers blame social media misinformation
Janice Kuka, left, and Jackie Davis of Ngā Mataapuna Oranga PHO, which has managed to boost immunisation rates in the face of soical media minisformation Photo: Supplied / Janice Kuka A growing number of families living in communities most vulnerable to infectious disease outbreaks are refusing to have their children vaccinated . Immunisation experts fear this worrying trend will make it impossible to reach the government's target of 95 percent coverage by 2030. At Ngā Mataapuna Oranga primary health organisation in Western Bay of Plenty, health workers are not passively waiting for whānau to bring their babies in for vaccination. A manager and kaiwhakahaere, Jackie Davis, said it had managed to boost immunisation rates by 10 percent in the last year through the heroic efforts of nurses, community workers and GPs. "[We've even had] community teams lurking in bushes, waiting to ambush mums coming home from shopping," she said wryly. In a league table of primary health organisations (PHOs) published by Health NZ, Ngā Mataapuna Oranga has the highest decline rate, with 25 percent of families refusing immunisation. As a small PHO, with just four general practices, it only took a handful of families to decline immunisation to drop its rates below target, Davis pointed out. However, she admitted it was up against persistent anti-vaccination propaganda, which spreaded like contagion via social media . "I guess their promotion is just as good as our promotions are, so they counter a lot of the work we do." Nationally, 79.3 percent of two-year-olds were fully vaccinated in the first three months of the year - marginally better than at the same time last year. In some regions however, rates were much lower: Northland had just 66.4 percent coverage, while in Tairāwhiti and Bay of Plenty, it was around 68 percent . Davis said the Covid pandemic damaged trust in the health system and it was taking time to rebuild those relationships. "I think too that we have to balance our attempts at immunisation in relation to our relationships with our families. "To put it bluntly, sometimes we're going two or three times to the same families. And at the end of the day, from their perspective, they're over us." Infectious disease expert professor Peter McIntyre. Photo: University of Otago Infectious disease expert professor Peter McIntyre, from Otago University, said before Covid, decline rates for childhood immunisation were around 5 percent. However, for about one in three PHOs in those Health NZ figures, the decline rate was now more than 10 percent. "This substantial increase in the proportion of families declining, effectively makes that impossible." Unfortunately, vaccine distrust had got a stronger hold among Māori and Pacific communities , which already had more "delayed" immunisations, he said. "What the decline figures are telling is that these are people who are indicating they just don't intend to get their child immunised full stop, which is a development that's really worrying, because decline is a whole lot worse than delay." Full coverage remained a worthy goal, he said. "But if we really have to choose - which maybe at this stage we do - we want to focus on: How good is our protection against measles ? What's that looking like? What do we have to do about it? And maybe whooping cough as well. And meningococcal B." Ngāti Porou Oranga in Tairāwhiti recorded the lowest coverage with just 38.5 percent of two-year-olds fully vaccinated in the first three months of the year. No-one from the PHO was available to comment. Eastern Bay Primary Health Alliance in Bay of Plenty said its figures had improved: 58.4 percent of enrolled tamariki were fully immunised as of 1 July, up from 52.5 percent in the previous quarter. Chief executive Katarina Gordon said however it was also seeing a growing number of whānau "expressing hesitancy or choosing to decline immunisation". "We're seeing a steady increase in vaccine hesitancy particularly among younger parents and caregivers. "Some are actively declining, but many are simply unsure or misinformed. Social media misinformation, past experiences of the health system, and general mistrust all contribute to this hesitancy." Many whānau were living in rural or remote areas, with limited access to transport, housing instability and economic hardship, which meant day-to-day needs often took priority over preventive healthcare like immunisations, she said. Health providers were struggling themselves with limited clinic availability, workforce shortages (especially nurses and outreach staff) and high demand, which meant some whānau faced long wait times or limited options for appointments. "Mobile outreach services help, but capacity is stretched, and funding is not always available and or sustainable." Despite these challenges, Eastern Bay Primary Health Alliance continued to work with its practice network, outreach teams, Hauora Māori partners the National Public Health Service and Te Whatu Ora Health NZ to boost immunisation rates. "We remain committed to ensuring all interactions with whānau are timely, respectful, and culturally safe." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
