Children’s immunisation rates - how does New Zealand fare?

Since the start of the pandemic, global childhood vaccinations have experienced the largest sustained decline in about 30 years, according to a report by the WHO. Internationally, 25 million children in 2021 alone have missed out on life-saving vaccinations. This is the largest sustained drop in childhood immunisation in a generation.

NZ is part of this global trend, with some regions and specific population groups with lower than average immunisation rates. According to data from the Ministry of Health, immunisation coverage for New Zealand children at 24 months of age is 82.4% percent for the 3 month period ending 31 December 2022. In the same vein, figures covering the period between July 1 and September 30 last year show just 65% of children in Counties Manukau were fully vaccinated at 6 months old. This is important because immunisation coverage at six months is used as a marker for timely receipt of lifesaving government-funded vaccines, including for whooping cough (pertussis), diphtheria, polio, pneumococcal disease and rotavirus. The Children’s Commission and experts in public health are now raising the alarm, warning NZ could see a spike in entirely preventable disease and hospitalisation due to a fall in childhood vaccinations.

Childhood immunisation includes the MMR vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella, as well as vaccinations for pertussis (whooping cough), polio, diphtheria, tetanus, rotavirus, influenza and Covid-19. In 2019, a measles outbreak saw more than 2000 cases recorded nationwide. The severity of this outbreak could have been prevented because the combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is highly effective. The WHO recently raised concerns about an international outbreak of polio cases in New York, Israel, Indonesia and London. This is concerning for NZ as well.

Over the past 2 years, while our attention was focused on Covid-19, with a huge effort to vaccinate against it, all those other diseases didn’t attract the same attention, leading to falling vaccination rates. Officials in NZ are particularly concerned with access to healthcare, especially the rising cost of transport and delays in accessing general practices. The COVID-19 vaccination experience has also shown how Māori and Pacific community health providers can help reach high vaccination targets, especially when combined with good outreach services, increasing vaccination providers beyond GP clinics, and building the vaccination workforce. 

The age old age rings true, prevention is indeed better than cure.