A print friendly PDF version is available from this Communicable Diseases Intelligence issue's table of contents.

The first comprehensive report on the recent epidemiology of vaccine preventable diseases and vaccination coverage in Australia is now available.

The National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance of Vaccine Preventable Diseases (NCIRS) has prepared a report entitled Vaccine Preventable Diseases and Vaccination Coverage in Australia, 1993-1998 which provides a comprehensive national picture of the recent epidemiology of vaccine preventable diseases (VPDs). The report reviews notifications (1993-8), hospitalisations (1993/4-1997/8), and deaths (1993-7) for eight diseases on the routine childhood vaccination schedule (diphtheria, Haemophilus influenzae type b, measles, mumps, pertussis, poliomyelitis, rubella, tetanus), and four other diseases potentially preventable by childhood vaccination (hepatitis A, acute hepatitis B, invasive pneumococcal disease, varicella). It also examines vaccination coverage data from the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register (ACIR) and Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) for the same period.

The report brings together for the first time all three national sources of routinely collected data about vaccine preventable diseases, for all age groups in Australia, together with information about vaccination coverage. It is a valuable resource for health professionals providing evidence of the impact of changes in vaccination practice over the six years, particularly notable for measles and Haemophilus influenzae type b, and a baseline against which further changes can be measured.

Copies can be obtained from:

• Toll free telephone number: 1800 020 103 ext 8654

This publication is also available from the Internet at: http://www1.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/cda-cdi2000sup-vpd93_98.htm


This article was published in Communicable Diseases Intelligence Volume 24, No 7, July 2000.