Immunisation coverage in Australian Indigenous children: Time to move the goal posts

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Public Health
• Immunology

Background:

• Childhood immunisation coverage rates reported later in infancy can obscure delays in timely vaccination.
• Ensuring timely infant immunisation is crucial for protection against serious diseases.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the timeliness of routine infant immunisation schedules among Indigenous infants in Australia's Northern Territory.
• To identify potential gaps in early childhood vaccination timeliness.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of immunisation records based on the age of children at vaccination completion.
• Data were assessed at 7, 13, and 18 months of age.

Main Results:

• Only 45.2% of Indigenous infants completed the recommended immunisation schedule by 7 months of age.
• Completion rates increased to 49.5% by 13 months and 81.2% by 18 months.
• Significant delays in achieving timely immunisation were observed in the first year of life.

Conclusions:

• Current immunisation reporting may not adequately reflect timeliness for Indigenous infants.
• There is a critical need to improve immunisation timeliness within the first year of life for Indigenous infants.
• Performance benchmarks should prioritize timely vaccination in early infancy.