Immunisation rates are rising across the country, but the city centre of Adelaide has the lowest jab rate in South Australia
THE city centre of Adelaide has the lowest vaccination rate in South Australia, latest figures show.
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THE city centre of Adelaide has the lowest vaccination rate in South Australia, latest figures show.
However, immunisation rates are rising across the country as a result of the Federal Government’s No Jab, No Pay policy.
More than 198,000 extra children have been immunised since it took effect on January 1 last year.
Under the new rules, parents who refuse to vaccinate their children lose welfare benefits.
Data released by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s office yesterday show 198,056 children who were not immunised had, by the end of 2016, received the required vaccines to be eligible for the Child Care Benefit, Child Care Rebate and Family Tax Benefit Part A.
However, about 5.5 per cent of children who could receive the Family Tax Benefit Part A — or about 142,700 — had still not been fully immunised by mid last year.
The national vaccination rate of children at age five has risen from 92.59 per cent in 2015 to 93.19 per cent last year. The figures are comparable with the latest South Australian data.
In this state, the lowest immunisation rate was recorded in the Adelaide city area (78.5 per cent), followed by Unley in the east (86.3 per cent), Holdfast Bay on the coast (90.2 per cent), Port Adelaide in the west (90.9 per cent) and the Outback (91.3 per cent).
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said the figures showed the No Jab, No Pay policy “is working”.
“We encourage objecting parents to reconsider their position which is not supported by medical expertise,” Mr Hunt said.
“This policy is safeguarding the health standards of the general community and protecting our infants against hideous illness.”
Last month, the State Government announced a new policy under which children whose vaccinations are not up to date must stay home from public preschools or childcare centres if there is an outbreak of illness.
Parents with children who are enrolled in government preschools, occasional care, family daycare, or respite services will, from the start of Term 2, be asked to provide evidence of their child’s immunisation status.
If there is an outbreak of a vaccine-preventable disease such as chickenpox, measles or mumps, then children who do not have up-to-date immunisation records will not be allowed to attend.
SA Health would determine how long the children must stay away.
Health Minister Jack Snelling is also drafting laws that would give childcare centres the legal right to refuse enrolment to unvaccinated children.
Mr Snelling is considering whether to go as far as imposing a blanket ban on unvaccinated children attending childcare.