Parents and children are now counting down the days until the new school year, and with a lot to organise it’s important to ensure your child is up to date with their immunisations.
“On time vaccination offers the best protection against vaccine preventable diseases, and it’s important that parents are aware of the vaccine schedules and their child’s immunisation history,” said Dr Ros Webby, Head of Immunisation Centre for Disease Control.
“On time means on or as close as possible to the due date in accordance with the Northern Territory Childhood Vaccination Schedule.”
Immunisation protects your child against diseases that cause serious illness and prevents them from attending school. Immunisation reduces the spread of disease, protects those who are vaccinated as well as those in the community who may not be able to receive vaccines themselves.
“Children commencing school for the first time should have received their four years of age vaccination, which protects against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis and poliomyelitis (dTpa-IPV).”
Parents will be asked to provide their child’s vaccination record to the school upon enrolment. Parents can obtain their child’s vaccination record from the Australian Immunisation Register or Northern Territory Immunisation Register. This information helps schools to ensure in the case of an outbreak children who are not protected can be excluded from school to protect their health.
The NT Immunisation Program provides immunisation protection against:
measles, mumps, rubella
diphtheria, tetanus
pertussis or whooping cough
poliomyelitis
varicella (chicken pox)
hepatitis B
Haemophilus influenzae type B
rotavirus
meningococcal ACWY and
invasive pneumococcal disease.
Additionally the School Vaccination Program offers scheduled vaccinations to children in Year 7. Vaccinations can only be administered when a signed consent form has been returned to the school. Alternatively vaccines are available from urban Primary Health Centres, general practitioners, Aboriginal Health Clinics or remote health centres.
Information about your child’s vaccination history can be obtained by calling the Australian Immunisation Register on 1800 653 809 during office hours or by calling the Northern Territory Immunisation Register on 8922 8315 Monday to Friday between 8am - 12pm and 1pm - 4pm.
More information about immunisation can be found on the NT immunisation website.
Media contact: Sally Edwards 0491 228 375