❓ WA Parliament Question on Notice regarding measles/mumps vaccination rates, immunisation strategy, pertussis vaccine shortage, and deaths/hospitalisations related to vaccine-preventable diseases and adverse reactions.
AnsweredQoN 5001Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
(1) I refer to the report in The West Australian on 14/11/15 of a 900 per cent increase in the cases of measles from 30 this time last year to 300 now, and ask: (a) what percentage of children in WA are vaccinated against mumps (the MMR vaccine); (b) what percentage of children in WA currently are up-to-date with the national childhood immunisation schedule; and (c) have any of the notified cases of mumps experienced severe side effects? (2) The State Vaccination Plan has now expired and a new one is due, when will the new plan be released? (3) Is there a shortage of the adult booster for whooping cough (pertussis vaccine), and can the State meet its commitment to providing a free adult booster shot for pregnant women and parents, and/or primary carers of newborn babies? (4) What is the Department of Health doing to source additional supplies of the adult booster for whooping cough? (5) How many deaths have been recorded in WA over the last 5 years from vaccine preventable diseases? (6) How many hospitalisations have there been in WA over the past 5 years due to vaccine preventable diseases? (7) How many deaths (if any) over the last five years in WA have been caused by severe adverse reaction to vaccines on the National Childhood Immunisation Schedule? (8) How many adverse reactions to vaccines on the National Childhood Immunisation Schedule in WA have resulted in hospitalisation?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
15 March 2016
Responded by
Minister for Health
Response time
28 days
(1)(a) It is noted that there is an error in the Member’s question, which should refer to mumps, rather than measles. The latest data available is for the period 1 July 2015 to 30 September 2015, which was released on 31 December 2015. This data shows that 91.9% of two year olds and 92.8% of five year olds in Western Australia (WA) have received the Mumps Measles Rubella (MMR) vaccine .
(b) The latest data available is for the period 1 July 2015 to 30 September 2015, which was released on 31 December 2015. This data shows that 92.6% of one year olds, 89.5% of two year olds and 92.1% of five year olds in WA are fully immunised as per the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register definitions.
(c) In the current outbreak, as at 16 February 2016 29 patients (5.1%) with mumps have been reported as having attended an emergency department or have been admitted to hospital.
Of 323 male patients, 24 (7.4%) have reported symptoms of orchitis or testicular pain/swelling.
There have been no reported cases of encephalitis (brain infection) or fatalities.
(2) It is anticipated that the WA Immunisation Strategy 2016-2020 will be ready for release in the first half of 2016. The WA Immunisation Strategy 2013-15 will continue to provide the framework for immunisation in WA until the new Strategy is in place.
(3) WA Health is aware that there is currently a shortage of adult pertussis vaccine in WA. This is due to a worldwide shortage and affects all jurisdictions in Australia. Supplies in WA are sufficient to support government-funded programs (Year 8 and pregnant women), but there may be some temporary difficulty accessing adult pertussis vaccine in the private market.
WA Health currently does not supply government-purchased pertussis vaccine for new fathers, grandparents, or other primary carers of newborn babies. The available evidence indicates the most effective way to protect vulnerable newborns is to vaccinate women while they are pregnant, so they can pass antibodies to the baby in utero. Clinical studies indicate that the vaccination during the third trimester is greater than 90% effective at protecting the newborn from pertussis in the first several months of life. WA Health is supplying free vaccinations to pregnant women in the third trimester of their pregnancy.
(4) There are only two companies that supply this vaccine in Australia, i.e. GSK (brand Boostrix) and Sanofi Pasteur (brand Adacel). WA Health has been working with both companies to ensure WA Health will have enough stock to provide this vaccine for government programs (Year 8 and pregnant women) and a shortage for these programs is not anticipated.
The Australian suppliers of the pertussis vaccine have indicated they expect additional supplies to be available in the private market by the end of June 2016.
(5) Over the five year period 2011 to 2015 a total of 242 deaths were recorded as being associated with vaccine-preventable diseases.
Notes: Deaths were associated with the following vaccine preventable diseases: hepatitis B, influenza, meningococcal infection (invasive), pertussis, pneumococcal infection (invasive) and rotavirus. No deaths were reported from diphtheria, Haemophilus influenzae type B (invasive), hepatitis A, measles, mumps, poliomyelitis, rubella, tetanus or varicella-zoster virus.
Death data were extracted from the WA Notifiable Infectious Diseases Database.
(6) Over the five year period 2011 to 2015 a total of 10,219 hospitalisations due to vaccine-preventable diseases were recorded.
Note: Hospitalisation data were sourced from the WA Notifiable Infectious Diseases Database for all vaccine preventable diseases, with the exception of varicella-zoster virus, for which data were sourced from the Hospital Morbidity Data System.
(7) No deaths determined to be due to severe adverse reactions following immunisation to vaccines on the National Childhood Immunisation Schedule have been reported in WA in the last five years.
(8) In 2015, 20 children <5 years of age were reported to the WA Vaccine Safety System (WAVSS) as admitted to hospital following immunisation. Of these 20 admissions, 11 were ultimately assessed to be not related to vaccination following review by vaccine safety experts. With 483,411 doses of vaccine given to children < 5 years during this time period, this means that fewer than 2 hospitalisations per 100,000 doses of vaccine could be attributed to adverse reactions.
(b) The latest data available is for the period 1 July 2015 to 30 September 2015, which was released on 31 December 2015. This data shows that 92.6% of one year olds, 89.5% of two year olds and 92.1% of five year olds in WA are fully immunised as per the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register definitions.
(c) In the current outbreak, as at 16 February 2016 29 patients (5.1%) with mumps have been reported as having attended an emergency department or have been admitted to hospital.
Of 323 male patients, 24 (7.4%) have reported symptoms of orchitis or testicular pain/swelling.
There have been no reported cases of encephalitis (brain infection) or fatalities.
(2) It is anticipated that the WA Immunisation Strategy 2016-2020 will be ready for release in the first half of 2016. The WA Immunisation Strategy 2013-15 will continue to provide the framework for immunisation in WA until the new Strategy is in place.
(3) WA Health is aware that there is currently a shortage of adult pertussis vaccine in WA. This is due to a worldwide shortage and affects all jurisdictions in Australia. Supplies in WA are sufficient to support government-funded programs (Year 8 and pregnant women), but there may be some temporary difficulty accessing adult pertussis vaccine in the private market.
WA Health currently does not supply government-purchased pertussis vaccine for new fathers, grandparents, or other primary carers of newborn babies. The available evidence indicates the most effective way to protect vulnerable newborns is to vaccinate women while they are pregnant, so they can pass antibodies to the baby in utero. Clinical studies indicate that the vaccination during the third trimester is greater than 90% effective at protecting the newborn from pertussis in the first several months of life. WA Health is supplying free vaccinations to pregnant women in the third trimester of their pregnancy.
(4) There are only two companies that supply this vaccine in Australia, i.e. GSK (brand Boostrix) and Sanofi Pasteur (brand Adacel). WA Health has been working with both companies to ensure WA Health will have enough stock to provide this vaccine for government programs (Year 8 and pregnant women) and a shortage for these programs is not anticipated.
The Australian suppliers of the pertussis vaccine have indicated they expect additional supplies to be available in the private market by the end of June 2016.
(5) Over the five year period 2011 to 2015 a total of 242 deaths were recorded as being associated with vaccine-preventable diseases.
Notes: Deaths were associated with the following vaccine preventable diseases: hepatitis B, influenza, meningococcal infection (invasive), pertussis, pneumococcal infection (invasive) and rotavirus. No deaths were reported from diphtheria, Haemophilus influenzae type B (invasive), hepatitis A, measles, mumps, poliomyelitis, rubella, tetanus or varicella-zoster virus.
Death data were extracted from the WA Notifiable Infectious Diseases Database.
(6) Over the five year period 2011 to 2015 a total of 10,219 hospitalisations due to vaccine-preventable diseases were recorded.
Note: Hospitalisation data were sourced from the WA Notifiable Infectious Diseases Database for all vaccine preventable diseases, with the exception of varicella-zoster virus, for which data were sourced from the Hospital Morbidity Data System.
(7) No deaths determined to be due to severe adverse reactions following immunisation to vaccines on the National Childhood Immunisation Schedule have been reported in WA in the last five years.
(8) In 2015, 20 children <5 years of age were reported to the WA Vaccine Safety System (WAVSS) as admitted to hospital following immunisation. Of these 20 admissions, 11 were ultimately assessed to be not related to vaccination following review by vaccine safety experts. With 483,411 doses of vaccine given to children < 5 years during this time period, this means that fewer than 2 hospitalisations per 100,000 doses of vaccine could be attributed to adverse reactions.
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