Childhood immunisation

It is important that you are aware of information about the benefits and risks of vaccination before any vaccine is given to your child.

At your vaccination appointment your health provider will provide you with information about the particular vaccines your child will receive and will describe any common or rare side effects that your child may experience and how they can be managed.

You might like to consider the following and discuss this with your health provider at your appointment if you have any questions.

Mild, common illness, such as a cold with a low-grade fever, should not delay vaccination. However, in some cases it is recommended that vaccination be withheld or delayed due to underlying medical conditions. Let your health provider know if your child:

• has had a severe reaction following any past vaccination
• has a history of severe allergy where vaccination is not recommended
• has had a live vaccine within the last month (e.g. tuberculosis, measles, yellow fever)
• has had an injection of immunoglobulin or whole blood transfusion in the last 3 months
• has a disease that lowers immunity, (e.g. leukaemia, cancer, HIV/AIDS) or is having treatment which lowers immunity (e.g. steroid drugs such as hydrocortisone or prednisolone, radiotherapy, chemotherapy)
• lives with someone who has a disease that lowers immunity or who is having treatment that lowers immunity
• is unwell at the time of vaccination.

Western Australia (WA) is committed to the cost-effective delivery of immunisation programs under the National Immunisation Program.

Through this commitment WA pledges to maintain or improve their existing immunisation rates for the benefit of the whole community. Immunisation coverage varies across the state with some areas achieving very high immunisation rates, and others achieving well below the nationally agreed rate.

The national target for childhood immunisations in Australian is 95%. Current immunisation coverage for WA can be found here.

Vaccine preventable diseases, such as measles and chickenpox, can have serious health consequences for children and others in the community.

You can help protect your child by ensuring their vaccinations are up-to-date.

WA Health is committed to improving vaccination rates for Aboriginal people.

Data from the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) (external site) shows that Aboriginal children in Western Australia (WA) are receiving their vaccinations later and have overall lower immunisation rates compared to non-Aboriginal children. This leaves them vulnerable to vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs).

To view the Aboriginal Immunisation Schedule click here

The Superkids campaign (external site):

A campaign created for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families explains the importance of childhood immunisation to keep our kids and the community safe from serious diseases.

Childhood Immunisation Campaign – Superkids | Childhood immunisation | Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care

• reminds families to have a yarn with health care workers about vaccines available on the schedule
• informs families about how disease affects children and the community
• educates families about the seriousness of vaccine-preventable diseases

There are also various videos and animations (external site) on childhood immunisation developed to help parents learn more about how vaccination can protect their child.

Watch the below video ‘Immunisation across the lifespan’ from the Aboriginal Health Council of Western Australia