‘Concerning’: Childhood Vaccination Rates Decline in Australia Since COVID-19

The COVID-19 Moderna Vaccination prepared at Lestonnac Free Clinic in Orange, Calif., on March 9, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Childhood vaccination rates in Australia have dropped since COVID-19, posing ongoing challenges to preventing diseases, a report has found.

The National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS) report (pdf) looks into how the pandemic affected vaccination rates in Australia.

The report found that during the height of the pandemic (2021-2022), vaccination rates for children at key milestones dropped from 94.2 percent to 93.3 percent at 12 months, 92.1 percent to 91.0 percent at 24 months, and 94.0 percent to 93.4 percent at 60 months.

NCIRS Associate Professor Frank Beard said the decline in fully vaccinated children is “concerning.”

“Younger children are generally more at risk of severe disease, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and socio-economically disadvantaged children even more so. Vaccination at the earliest appropriate age, in line with the National Immunisation Program schedule, is important to protect these children,” he said.

Total vaccination rates declined more in Indigenous children than in the overall child population.

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Rates decreased in Indigenous children from 91.6 percent to 90.0 percent at 12 months, 90.1 percent to 87.9 percent at 24 months, and 96.3 percent to 95.1 percent at 60 months.

Notably, at 12 and 24 months of age, Indigenous children had greater differences in fully vaccinated rates compared to children overall, highlighting the varied impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The larger decreases in vaccination coverage among Indigenous children, particularly those in remote areas, highlight the need to improve on-time vaccination,” Mr. Beard added.

Meanwhile, in 2022, measles vaccination rates at 24 months of age were 95.1 percent for the first dose, decreasing to 92.7 percent for the second.

The second measles dose had a rate of 96.3 percent at 60 months, but only 13.8 percent of areas achieved the national target of 95 percent for the second dose at 24 months.

On-time vaccination rates are vital for reaching Australia’s 95 percent immunisation target, the federal government said, although the overall coverage rate for a five-year-old is currently close at 94.04 percent.

One-year-olds are at 93.26 percent and two-year-olds are at 91.22 percent fully vaccinated.

Government on Vaccination During Pandemic Contributed to Hesitancy

Government messages promoting vaccination during the pandemic didn’t always connect with people, contributing to vaccine hesitancy, according to a UNSW Sydney study.

UNSW PhD candidate Joshua Karras said when information came from a trusted source like a friend or family member, it resonated more and shaped people’s decisions about vaccination.

“If positive peer-to-peer communication is supported, this could lead to increased vaccine awareness and confidence,” he explained.

“Best case scenario, we are able to design programs to help everyday individuals to share information about health interventions.”

He said, for example, that when someone gets a vaccine, they might also get additional information about the vaccine and some training on how to communicate about it.

“We could support them to communicate with their loved ones and help keep them safe and healthy,” he said, adding this concept could also potentially be applied to other areas of health intervention, not just vaccines.

Griffith University professor Nigel McMillan added that the pandemic led to a decline in people’s overall confidence in the medical and scientific community due to discussions about the importance of vaccines.

“People have been exposed to a lot of misinformation and not much debate about vaccines and why we do it, what are the benefits and, if you’re not going to do it, what are the risks,” he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) in May.

Professor McMillan added that falling vaccination rates and misinformation about vaccines were dangerous.

He said a false study on the measles vaccine in the 1990s led to childhood vaccination rates falling below 80 percent in England and the United Kingdom.

“Many children died of preventable diseases because of that situation,” he said.

“Ask your grandparents who really experienced diseases like polio, and they know what occurred.

“Talk to them, and you'll get a very vivid idea of how bad it was before we had these vaccines.”

UNICEF: Pandemic Causes Unprecedented 30-Year Drop in Global Childhood Immunisation

UNICEF Australia argued that the pandemic led to the most significant decline in childhood immunisation worldwide in 30 years due to increased demands on health systems, the redirection of immunisation resources to COVID-19 vaccination, health worker shortages, and stay-at-home measures.

UNICEF Director Alice Hall added that the strain on the health system could also serve as an opportunity to strengthen it.

“Australia should remain committed to strengthening routine immunisation efforts as a contribution to our regional health security. Countries such as Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea saw significant reductions in the coverage of routine immunisation as a result of the pandemic, and confidence levels are falling in many countries,” she said.

“There are tens of millions of children around the world who missed routine vaccines during the pandemic, but with the commitment of governments, we can strengthen health systems and ensure we reach children around the world—even in the hardest-to-reach places—to help reduce the spread of preventable diseases.”

She added vaccines that save lives, and diseases “do not respect borders.”

“It is essential we continue to build confidence in vaccines and to make the most of a host of new ideas and technologies that can boost the power of vaccines and ensure they reach every child—both in Australia and around the world.”