Victoria Tops Immunisation Rates
On 26 October, the Victorian Government launched a new immunisation strategy to ensure Victoria's immunisation rates remain among the best in Australia and the world. The new strategy aims to uphold our record as the only state or territory to have consistently achieved immunisation coverage of 90 per cent or above at the key milestones of twelve months, two years and five years.
Effective intervention
Immunisation is one of the most effective and cost-effective public health interventions, and has been a cornerstone in the control of communicable diseases for more than a century. Modern immunisation programs now protect Australians from 15 vaccine-preventable diseases.
Over the past ten years, great progress has been made in delivering vital immunisation to all Victorians, with current immunisation levels in Victoria among the best in Australia and the world.
Immunisation goals
The new Victorian Immunisation Strategy 2009–2012, will keep Victoria at the forefront of immunisation in Australia.
The strategy seeks to achieve the lowest possible incidence of vaccine-preventable disease by attaining and maintaining the highest possible levels of effective immunisation coverage across the whole population.
It also aims to achieve and maintain the greatest improvements in effective immunisation coverage among those groups at highest risk of vaccine-preventable disease.
Several high-risk groups targeted by the new strategy include health care workers, the elderly, pregnant women and those with suppressed immune systems, and those in the justice system.
More information
For further information, see Victorian Immunisation Strategy 2009-2012.
For further details contact the Public Health Branch at immunisation@dhs.vic.gov.au.