CHILDHOOD IMMUNIZATION 1979 DISTURBING STATISTICS FOR METROPOLITAN SYDNEY

Abstract

Twenty-seven per cent of children (24 out of 90) born consecutively in an inner-city hospital had not completed their primary courses of immunization at the end of the first year of life. Many of the parents of these children had no knowledge of how many doses of vaccine their children required. When 578 schoolchildren aged 12 years were studied, only 40% of these were found to be immune to all three poliovirus serotypes and 12% were not immune to diphtheria. The proportion of children who were not immune to diphtheria varied greatly, and was 24% in one school. The reasons for these low levels of immunity are discussed, and several recommendations are made. It is suggested that a standard immunization record card or book be adopted throughout Australia, and that this card be issued to the newborn child. It is also suggested that consideration be given to the introduction of laws which require that evidence of immunization (or certification of exemption from immunization) be presented at the time of school entry. In the meantime, mopping-up programmes should be conducted in schools where herd immunity is low and a poliomyelitis vaccine (Sabin) booster should be recommended for all children at the age of 12 years.