The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) says new research finding expectant parents are encountering misinformation about childhood vaccines on social media and small inner circles is deeply concerning.
The Flinders University study found vaccine anxiety is driving parents to seek information from sources where misinformation is rife, including social media.
It comes after an earlier University of Adelaide study of South Australian households found parents are more likely to refuse COVID-19 vaccination for their child than the proportion of adults refusing vaccination for themselves.
On Sunday 20, February The Sydney Morning Herald also reported the number of primary-aged children getting vaccinated has plummeted in the past two weeks due to parents reluctance and complacency. The pace has slowed dramatically with about 5,000 children aged 5 to 11 nationally receiving a first shot each day last week, down 89% from about 47,000 daily doses in the program's first fortnight.
RACGP Vice President Dr Bruce Willett said the research highlighted the need for improved vaccine education for parents.
"While we have high childhood vaccination rates in Australia, with 95% of five-year-old's having received all scheduled childhood immunisations, vaccine hesitancy remains a serious threat to our community," said Dr Willett.
"Before the pandemic we were seeing horrifying outbreaks of measles. It was in isolated pockets, but we really shouldn't be seeing this disease in our country because we have readily available vaccines.
"Since then, the pandemic has led to the proliferation and rapid spread of vaccine misinformation in our community.
"This research should be a wake-up call – it shows the urgent need for improved education that's appropriately targeted to parents and those who are pregnant from all cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
"GPs across Australia are working hard to deliver COVID-19 vaccines to children, with the roll out to 5-to-11 year-old's starting in January.
"By February 20, 2022, 48.99% of children aged 5-to-11 had received their first dose. However, anecdotally we've heard uptake among this age group has been slower than older groups.
"This is a concern because we know young children mixing at childcare and socially has been a key driver of infections.
"And while the research shows most children have only mild symptoms, they can spread the virus to family members who are more vulnerable and at-risk of severe symptoms, like grandparents."
Dr Willett urged parents to switch off social media and turn to their GP for vaccine information.
"I strongly encourage parents who are feeling uncertain about their child's vaccinations to turn to their GP," he said.
"Your GP will give you expert medical advice and be able to answer any questions you may have.
"Parents should not feel embarrassed to ask questions. There is a lot of misinformation out there, it's not surprising some parents are confused and unsure what to believe or where to turn.
"Hesitant parents need to be treated with respect, sensitivity and understanding that they have their child's best interests at heart."
The RACGP Vice-President continued calling for more support for GPs to deliver the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, particularly for children.
"General practice is the backbone of the vaccine rollout, we've delivered more than half of all doses in our country so far, and we're ideally placed to deliver childhood vaccinations – we do this every day.
"We know vaccination can be daunting for children and their parents, and we have the expertise to make the experience as comfortable as possible. Which is why most parents naturally want to go to their GP for their child's vaccine.
"However, vaccinating children is a more complex job compared to adults.
"Anyone with experience vaccinating children knows they require more time and care, as well as space because their parents come with them – and this all has to be factored in by practices planning vaccine clinics.
"Without adequate support and funding, it's harder for practices to get the job done and make ends meet at the end of the day.
"Vaccination coverage among children is critical to protect our community, we should be throwing everything we have at this."
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