Childhood Immunization: Health Policies, Promotion, Advocacy and Equity in Australia

The report outlines the scenario of childhood immunization in Australia, including health policies, promotion and advocacy, along with an evaluation on the equity achieved by current immunization policies. It discusses the National Immunization Program, health promotion, primary health care, advocacy, and the principles of equity, self-determination, rights and access applicable to this health issue as relevant to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families.

Running head: CHILDHOOD IMMUNIZATION
CHILDHOOD IMMUNIZATION
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author note:

1CHILDHOOD IMMUNIZATION
NUR212 Task 3–Written Assignment Template– 1500 words
The procedure of ‘Childhood Immunization’ is of utmost importance for the enhancement of
a child’s immune system, to aid in the prevention and of fatal diseases (Berhane 2016).
The following report outlines the scenario of childhood immunization in Australia, including
health policies, promotion and advocacy, along with an evaluation on the equity achieved by
current immunization policies.
Discusses health policies that apply to the topic
Australia is home to numerous immunization strategies, aiming to inculcate awareness
regarding the importance of childhood vaccination, and formulating programs, policies and
advocacy measures for the same (Fraser et al. 2016).
The Department of Health of the Australian Government has formulated the ‘National
Immunization Program’ (NIP). This government-oriented program has achieved high rates of
success, by ensuring the provision of vaccines in every district. This program circulates at the
state, district as well as the territory and Commonwealth platform, to reduce or prevent the
affliction of harmful diseases, which are preventable via adequate vaccination. It is a
nationally, as well as internationally acclaimed initiative, which strives in the provision, of
the availability of vaccines of over 17 fatal diseases, free of cost (Lawrence et al. 2016). The
National Immunization Program of the Australian Government, by the Department of Health,
also aims to provide extensive information to concerned families, regarding the requirement
of vaccination in childhood, the negative medical repercussions concerning the same, as well
provision of a required vaccination schedule (Nhmrc.gov.au 2018).
The development of the National Immunization Program of Australia, is also supported by
the conductance of extensive research, which is actively performed by the National Centre for
Immunization Research and Surveillance. This surveillance body provides aid in the

2CHILDHOOD IMMUNIZATION
formulation of policies for childhood immunization, by coordinating its activities with the
Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (Dey et al. 2016). The National
Centre for Immunization Research and Surveillance and the Australian Technical Advisory
Group, work in unison through conductance of epidemiological research and analysis,
resulting in provision of adequate scientific information for improvement and enhancement
of the national Immunization Program of Australia (Ncirs.edu.au 2018).
The Public Health Association of Australia has an actively functioning Immunization Policy.
The policy aims at advocating communities, groups and regions, where the availability of
immunization programs is relatively less, to encourage the Government of Australia in its
efforts to provide adequate vaccination programs for all. The Immunization Policy also
strives in establishing coordination, cooperation, communication between the various district
and state level bodies, in order to assist in ensuring the availability of adequate childhood
immunization programs, all over the country (Attwell et al. 2017).
However, a number of children in Australia, continue to be deprived of adequate
immunization procedures. To prevent this discrepancy and the resultant future medical
complications, the Australian Government has formulated a ‘No Jab, No Pay’, policy, to
encourage parents to vaccinate their children. Under the governance of this policy, children
who have not received immunization, will be denied admission and enrollment in schools and
centers concerning child care. Across the southern region of Australia, families consisting of
children who have been deprived of vaccination, are denied permission to avail governmental
benefits (Yang and Studdert 2017).
Hence, it is evident that the Health Department of the Government of Australia, has
undertaken active child immunization procedures, in order to prevent the outbreak of fatally
harmful diseases.

3CHILDHOOD IMMUNIZATION
Apply principles of health promotion, primary health care and advocacy relevant
to this issue
Health Promotion
Immunize Australia’ is an actively functioning health promotion plan, formulated by the
National Immunization Program of the Department of Health, Government of Australia. The
program aims to impart adequate knowledge and information regarding the importance of
undertaking vaccination in children, and the list of diseases required for the concerned child
to be immunized against. The website of the concerned program also ensures the availability
of an immunization handbook. The handbook imparts necessary information regarding a
vaccination time schedule which parents are required to adhere to, in order to ensure safe and
timely immunization of their concerned children (Wang et al. 2017).
Primary Health care
The Department of Health, by the Government of Australia, undertakes active participation in
ensuring adequate childhood immunization schedules, through its National Immunization
Policy, as well as Immunize Australia program. Under these policy frameworks, the national
government ensures vaccination of Australians, free of cost, across a number districts,
communities, childcare and health centers and well as across states (Immunise.health.gov.au
2018). The government’s free immunization programs aims to provide vaccinations for a
number of deadly, yet preventable diseases such as diphtheria, influenza, measles, human
papillomavirus, chicken pox, hepatitis A and B, mumps, meningococcal, polio, rubella,
rotavirus, herpes, tetanus, pneumococcal and whooping cough. Before the commencement of
the vaccination procedure, the participants have to undergo an eligibility criteria, which
includes children under 18 months of age, pregnant women or individuals who have not

4CHILDHOOD IMMUNIZATION
received vaccination or have been in contact with an individual afflicted with the concerned
disease (Nowak et al. 2015).
Advocacy
For the purpose of ensuring the availability of adequate vaccination and child immunization
policies across the nation, a number of groups and organizations are present in Australia, for
the purpose of advocacy. One of the most notes groups, formulated for the purpose of
advocacy is the Public Health Association of Australia. With its ‘Immunization Policy’, the
Public Health Association of Australia, is responsible for establishing coordination and
cooperation, amongst national, state as well as district oriented organizations, for the purpose
of provision of childhood immunization procedures throughout Australia. The program also
aims to advocate for individuals, communities or regions, who have been deprived of
vaccination programs (Attwell et al. 2017).
The Australian Medical Students Association, aims to provide advocacy, by provision of its
support to the State as well as the Australian Commonwealth Government, in its efforts to
ensure vaccination availability to every family of the country (Jeffery 2015).
The Immunization Coalition, is a governmental organization, without governmental
association, which aims to promote the importance of vaccination and immunization by
imparting education to the general public. The organization also aims to provide assistance to
institutes concerned with the conductance of vaccination schedules, to further enhance
advocacy and execution of the same (Khoury 2017).

5CHILDHOOD IMMUNIZATION
Apply the principles of equity, self-determination, rights and access applicable to
this health issue as relevant to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families
Equity
In accordance to an assessment performed by the National Centre for Immunization Research
and Surveillance of Vaccine Preventable diseases, the coverage of immunization in Australia
has been highly successful, with a larger population of Australian children receiving adequate
vaccination procedures by the National Immunization Program of the Government of
Australia. However, the report also highlighted a lack of immunization services in regions
inhabited by the indigenous aborigines of the country. Hence, there is a need for the
development of an all-inclusive childhood immunization plan by the government, in
enhancing the availability of free vaccination programs in the distant and remote regions of
Australia (Pearce et al. 2015).
Self Determination
The policy of self-determination in Australia, refers to the provision of liberty to a collective
group of individuals, for the implementation and exercising of their own rights and decisions,
with regards to their community. The right of self-determination, is a policy requested by the
aboriginal communities of Australia, who want adequate recognition and representation by
governmental bodies, in order to acknowledge their distinct cultural and heritage practices
(Peterson and Myers 2016). With respect to childhood immunization, the government of
Australia can attempt to establish clear communication, as well as culture specific legislation
strategies, in order to provide adequate vaccination to aboriginal families, without harming
their independence in the process (Wighton and Smith 2018).

6CHILDHOOD IMMUNIZATION
Rights
With regards to ensuring of childhood immunization, it is to be noted, that in Australia, there
is no legal compulsion necessitating the need to vaccinate or immunize one’s child. Hence,
individuals are not supposed to be subject to discrepancy or discrimination, if they have been
devoid of vaccination in their lifetime. However, with the advent of the ‘No Jab, No pay’
legal framework, the establishment of stringent regulations in Australia has caused
considerable uproar amongst the public (Yang and Studdert 2017). With respect to this
amendment, individuals who have not undertaken the governmental recommended
immunization schedule, will be subject to denial of access to basic education, primary health
care and governmental service. Hence, despite the government’s success in maintenance of
high child immunization rates, the concerned legal amendment has proven to be
controversial, since a major section of the child population of Australia are now under threat
of education deprivation (Fielding, Bolam and Danchin 2017).
Access to Aborigines and Torres Strait Islander families
The aboriginal community residing in Australia, are often subject to discrimination and
deprivation of basic health and social welfare services, with respect to their remote
inhabitations and preference for isolation. The Immunize Australia program, by the
Australian Department of Health in the government, aims to deliver adequate and timely
vaccination services across the state, in order to ensure immunization for all children
(Ncirs.edu.au, 2018). However, as highlighted by statistical data, there seems to be
considerable gaps in service delivery, since a number of aboriginal families continue to be
devoid of vaccination. Hence, there is need for additional capital provision an effort by the
government, in order to extend its immunization network to the remote, aboriginal regions of
Australia (O’Grady et al. 2018).

7CHILDHOOD IMMUNIZATION
Conclusion
Hence, in conclusion, it can be stated that Australia provides an impressive array of legal
frameworks for ensuring nationwide childhood immunization. However, the deprivation of
aboriginal communities implies the requirement of further governmental efforts to provide
vaccination services to all, without damaging ethnic or cultural sentiments.

8CHILDHOOD IMMUNIZATION
References
Attwell, K., Leask, J., Meyer, S.B., Rokkas, P. and Ward, P., 2017. Vaccine rejecting parents’
engagement with expert systems that inform vaccination programs. Journal of bioethical
inquiry, 14(1), pp.65-76.
Berhane, Y., 2016. Universal Childhood Immunization: a realistic yet not achieved goal. The
Ethiopian Journal of Health Development (EJHD), 22(2).
Dey, A., Knox, S., Wang, H., Beard, F.H. and McIntyre, P.B., 2016. Summary of national
surveillance data on vaccine preventable diseases in Australia, 2008-2011. Communicable
diseases intelligence quarterly report, 40, pp.S1-70.
Fielding, J.E., Bolam, B. and Danchin, M.H., 2017. Immunisation coverage and
socioeconomic status–questioning inequity in the ‘No Jab, No Pay’policy. Australian and
New Zealand journal of public health, 41(5), pp.455-457.
Fraser, A., Williams, S., Kong, S., Wells, L., Goodall, L., Pit, S., ... & Trent, M. (2016).
Public Health Amendment (Vaccination of Children Attending Child Care Facilities) Act
2013: its impact in the Northern Rivers, NSW. Public Health Research and Practice, 26(2).
Immunise.health.gov.au. 2018. Immunise - The National Immunisation Program. [online]
Available: http://www.immunise.health.gov.au/internet/immunise/publishing.nsf/content/
home [Accessed 13 Sep. 2018].
Jeffery, R.H., 2015. Vaccination and the law. Australian family physician, 44(11), p.849.
Khoury, G., 2017. Day of Immunology in Australia and New Zealand. European Journal of
Immunology, 47(8), pp.1253-1255.
Lawrence, G.L., Wang, H., Lahra, M., Booy, R. and McIntyre, P.B., 2016. Meningococcal
disease epidemiology in Australia 10 years after implementation of a national conjugate

9CHILDHOOD IMMUNIZATION
meningococcal C immunization programme. Epidemiology & Infection, 144(11), pp.2382-
2391.
Ncirs.edu.au. 2018. National Centre for Immunisation Research & Surveillance (NCIRS) »
NCIRS. [online] Available at: http://www.ncirs.edu.au/ [Accessed 13 Sep. 2018].
Nhmrc.gov.au. 2018. National Immunisation Strategy | National Health and Medical
Research Council. [online] Available at:
https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/guidelines-publications/cd7 [Accessed 13 Sep. 2018].
Nowak, G.J., Gellin, B.G., MacDonald, N.E. and Butler, R., 2015. Addressing vaccine
hesitancy: the potential value of commercial and social marketing principles and
practices. Vaccine, 33(34), pp.4204-4211.
O'Grady, K.A.F., Hall, K.K., Bell, A., Chang, A.B. and Potter, C., 2018. Review of
respiratory disease among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. Australian
Indigenous HealthBulletin, 18(2).
Pearce, A., Marshall, H., Bedford, H. and Lynch, J., 2015. Barriers to childhood
immunisation: Findings from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. Vaccine, 33(29),
pp.3377-3383.
Peterson, N. and Myers, F., 2016. Experiments in self-determination: Histories of the
outstation movement in Australia. ANU Press.
Wang, B., Chen, G., Ratcliffe, J., Afzali, H.H.A., Giles, L. and Marshall, H., 2017.
Adolescent values for immunisation programs in Australia: A discrete choice
experiment. PloS one, 12(7), p.e0181073.
Wighton, A. and Smith, D., 2018. Common Roots, Common Futures: Indigenous Pathways
to Self-Determination.

10CHILDHOOD IMMUNIZATION
Yang, Y.T. and Studdert, D.M., 2017. Linking immunization status and eligibility for welfare
and benefits payments: The Australian “No Jab, No Pay” Legislation. Jama, 317(8), pp.803-
804.