Immunisation coverage in Australian Indigenous children: Time to move the goal posts.
Childhood immunisation coverage reported at 12 to <15 months and 2 years of age, may mask deficiencies in the timeliness of vaccines designed to protect against diseases in infancy. This study aimed to evaluate immunisation timeliness in Indigenous infants in the Northern Territory, Australia. Coverage was analysed at the date children turned 7, 13 and 18 months of age. By 7 months of age, 45.2% of children had completed the recommended schedule, increasing to 49.5% and 81.2% at 13 and 18 months of age, respectively. Immunisation performance benchmarks must focus on improving the timeliness in these children in the first year of life.
O'Grady
Kerry-Ann
KA
School of Population Health & Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. kogrady@menzies.edu.au
Krause
Vicki
V
Andrews
Ross
R
D015331:Cohort Studies; D003140:Communicable Disease Control / Q000592:standards; D006303:Health Services, Indigenous / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000069443:Heptavalent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine; D006801:Humans; D007114:Immunization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017589:Immunization Programs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007115:Immunization Schedule; D007223:Infant; D009313:National Health Programs; D015876:Northern Territory / Q000453:epidemiology; D011008:Pneumococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D022242:Pneumococcal Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000095283:Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
D000069443:Heptavalent Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine; D022242:Pneumococcal Vaccines