More than 7500 children not protected from killer diseases

ABOUT 15,000 parents have recorded a conscientious objection to vaccinating their children and parents in Australia’s wealthiest suburbs outright refuse to.

Anti-immunisations ... 75,000 children aged five were not fully vaccinated against diseas

“BABY Einstein” parents from some of our most wealthy suburbs are refusing to immunise their kids.

The number of children not fully vaccinated has fallen by nearly 2000 but still 75,000 children aged one, two and five were not fully vaccinated against diseases like measles and whooping cough in the previous financial year.

And nearly 15,000 parents have recorded a conscientious objection to vaccinating their children across the country.

The figures come in a new report from the National Health Performance Authority.

Immunisation expert Julie Leask has dubbed them “baby Einstein” parents who take a keen interest in their children’s education and health, eat organic food and use alternative medicines.

Australian Medical Association chief Dr Steve Hambleton says the failure of so many parents in the North Coast of NSW to vaccinate their kids is a “major disappointment”.

“Even children who have been vaccinated are at increased risk because of the drop in herd immunity,” he said.

The fact that only one in five parents who had not vaccinated their children had lodged a conscientious objection suggests other factors must be behind the failure to reach immunisation targets.

Asking children to take home permission notes for the free cervical cancer vaccine could be one reason for the low take up rate, Dr Hambleton said.

“No-one likes a jab and if you rely on kids to take home the message it won’t work,” he said.

The biggest improvement in immunisation rates was among five-year-old children where it rose from 90 per cent in 2011-12 to 91.5 per cent in 2012-13.

Two-year-old children were the most likely to be immunised with 92.5 per cent covered.

Among children aged one, 91.2 per cent of children were fully immunised.

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