With increasing cases of measles circulating in the community, parents are being reminded of the importance of on time vaccination, as NSW Health launches a new personalised childhood vaccination schedule tool.
The tool allows parents to create a customised vaccination schedule based on their child's date of birth, providing personalised guidance and practical reminders to help parents ensure vaccinations are received on time and give their children the best protection from serious diseases.
Immunisation helps keep the community safe from the spread of serious illness. This new tool is part of the Minns Labor Government's commitment to improving access to care and reducing pressure on our health system.
In NSW, vaccinations are provided for free for a range of serious and highly contagious diseases including whooping cough, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, and chicken pox.
The immunisation schedule sets out the best age for children to receive these vaccines. The timing is carefully chosen by experts to make sure children achieve the highest level of protection for each disease.
Delaying or missing vaccinations can put children at increased risk of serious disease.
In NSW, more than 90 per cent of children are fully immunised, however, it is important to further improve this rate to help protect children and the wider community.
The customised schedule was informed by research commissioned by NSW Health, which found many parents and carers felt uncertain, overwhelmed, or unsure where to start when it came to vaccinating their child.
In addition to the personalised schedule, families can use the new 'add to calendar' feature, which automatically adds a child's vaccination dates to their parent's phone calendar.
Parents will receive a reminder one week before the vaccination date, along with a calendar entry on their phone for the day the vaccination is due. The personalised vaccination schedule is a guide only. Parents should always speak with their immunisation provider before their child has a vaccine.
Vaccinations are available from GPs, Aboriginal Medical Services, some local councils and some community health centres. You can also find a vaccination provider on the healthdirect website.
If your child has missed a vaccine, speak to your GP, nurse or Aboriginal Medical Service (AMS).
For more information, visit: www.health.nsw.gov.au/vaccinate
Quotes attributable to Minister for Health Ryan Park:
"We know that vaccination is the best thing we can do to protect our children from serious diseases like measles. With a recent spike in the community, it is important parents are aware and pro-active with vaccination.
"Vaccination means kids are less likely to become seriously unwell and less likely to need to visit our hospitals.
"This personalised schedule is a great new tool to support parents, helping simplify the process and ensure every child is given their vaccinations on time."
Quotes attributable to Acting Director of Health Protection at NSW Health Dr Vicky Sheppeard:
"Delaying vaccines can leave children unprotected during important stages of development so we are strongly encouraging parents to book their children in at the recommended ages. This is when the vaccination works best.
"Even if your child has a runny nose or a mild cold, don't delay vaccination. Talk to your doctor or nurse to make sure your child is protected as early as possible.
"We know that most missed childhood vaccinations in NSW are due to delays from parents who are time poor, overwhelmed or confused from the amount of information out there, so we wanted to create a trustworthy, easy-to-understand tool that reflects their child's individual needs."
