Catch up time for tamariki immunisations

Waatea Team Catch up time for tamariki immunisations

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The Immunisation Advisory Centre is encouraging whānau to keep up their children’s regular immunisation schedule.

Researcher Andrea Teahan says immunisation rates dropped significantly during Covid, especially within Māori communities.

In July, only 74 per cent of pēpe Māori were fully immunised by nine months compared with the national target of 92 per cent.

“Everyone needs to continue to offer protection to our tamariki and mokopuna against these highly infectious diseases such as measles and whooping cough … With the borders imminent reopening next year, at IMAC our concern is to get the rate back up. Because there are significant outbreaks every few years with these diseases which is why timing is important to get the best protection from our vaccinations,” she says.

Whānau can save time by catching up on vaccinations for five to 11-year-olds at the same time they get their Covid vaccine.

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