❓ Ms. Mitchell asks about measures to protect newborns from whooping cough and flu following a recent infant death. The Minister outlines vaccination programs, including free whooping cough vaccines in the last trimester and encourages flu vaccinations during pregnancy.
AnsweredQoN 283Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
NEWBORNS — VACCINATION PROGRAM
283. Ms A.R. MITCHELL to the Minister for
Health:
In light of the recent tragic death
of a baby in this state from whooping cough can the minister please advise of
the measures to protect newborns from illnesses such as whooping cough and the
flu?
283. Ms A.R. MITCHELL to the Minister for
Health:
In light of the recent tragic death
of a baby in this state from whooping cough can the minister please advise of
the measures to protect newborns from illnesses such as whooping cough and the
flu?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for her question.
I had the pleasure of going to the family birthing centre at King Edward
Memorial Hospital earlier today to launch two components of our vaccination
program—one being the influenza vaccine and the other the whooping
cough vaccine. We are encouraging people to have their vaccine. Currently, only
about 40 per cent of people are having their flu vaccine, and we want to
increase that to 75 per cent. Women can have that flu vaccine anytime through
their pregnancy. As we know, very sadly, a child died from whooping cough, and
I met with his parents last week to talk through that and their endeavours to
increase the rate of vaccinations for whooping cough. This government has made
a decision, as have some other states, to start a free vaccination program,
provided by the government, for the last trimester of pregnancy to encourage
women to have that vaccination. We have tried in years past to do it with
family groups, grandparents and fathers, but there was not a strong uptake of
that vaccination program. There are key problems with whooping cough. Firstly,
over the last few years, there has been a big increase in the incidence of
whooping cough. Secondly, children start their vaccination program from two
months old, so as part of the triple antigen injection at two months, that
gives them the whooping cough vaccine, but for the first two months of their
lives, they are not protected. With mothers being vaccinated in their third
trimester of pregnancy, the baby is given immunity until the time of delivery.
We are encouraging parents,
particularly pregnant mothers, to get vaccinated for both whooping cough and
flu. The flu vaccine was a little delayed because there has been an outbreak in
Europe and America of a different strain of flu. The previous flu vaccine did
not contain those antigens but the new vaccine does. It provides immunity for
women who have that vaccination. I do not think people realise what a
devastating illness flu can be. Like other infections, it causes death,
particularly among those who are more vulnerable. The free government flu
vaccination campaign, funded in the flu vaccine by the federal government,
encourages pregnant women, those over the age of 65, younger children and those
with medical problems, who are at special risk, to have their vaccine, and I
encourage everybody to do so.
I had the pleasure of going to the family birthing centre at King Edward
Memorial Hospital earlier today to launch two components of our vaccination
program—one being the influenza vaccine and the other the whooping
cough vaccine. We are encouraging people to have their vaccine. Currently, only
about 40 per cent of people are having their flu vaccine, and we want to
increase that to 75 per cent. Women can have that flu vaccine anytime through
their pregnancy. As we know, very sadly, a child died from whooping cough, and
I met with his parents last week to talk through that and their endeavours to
increase the rate of vaccinations for whooping cough. This government has made
a decision, as have some other states, to start a free vaccination program,
provided by the government, for the last trimester of pregnancy to encourage
women to have that vaccination. We have tried in years past to do it with
family groups, grandparents and fathers, but there was not a strong uptake of
that vaccination program. There are key problems with whooping cough. Firstly,
over the last few years, there has been a big increase in the incidence of
whooping cough. Secondly, children start their vaccination program from two
months old, so as part of the triple antigen injection at two months, that
gives them the whooping cough vaccine, but for the first two months of their
lives, they are not protected. With mothers being vaccinated in their third
trimester of pregnancy, the baby is given immunity until the time of delivery.
We are encouraging parents,
particularly pregnant mothers, to get vaccinated for both whooping cough and
flu. The flu vaccine was a little delayed because there has been an outbreak in
Europe and America of a different strain of flu. The previous flu vaccine did
not contain those antigens but the new vaccine does. It provides immunity for
women who have that vaccination. I do not think people realise what a
devastating illness flu can be. Like other infections, it causes death,
particularly among those who are more vulnerable. The free government flu
vaccination campaign, funded in the flu vaccine by the federal government,
encourages pregnant women, those over the age of 65, younger children and those
with medical problems, who are at special risk, to have their vaccine, and I
encourage everybody to do so.
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