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Australia needs an expanded immunisation register for further improvements in vaccine delivery and program evaluation

Susan A Skull and Terence M Nolan
Med J Aust 2007; 187 (9): . || doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2007.tb01389.x
Published online: 5 November 2007

The absence of information on immunisation after the age of 7 years leaves a public health void

The Australian Government currently funds the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register, including financial incentives for vaccine providers and parents, to update and record vaccinations given to children up to 7 years of age.1 The register provides information enabling appropriate updating of vaccination status for young Australian children. It also provides invaluable data on immunisation coverage, allowing ongoing evaluation, at a population level, of implementation, impact on disease, and vaccine safety for current childhood vaccination programs.


  • 1 University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC.
  • 2 Menzies School of Health Research, Darwin, NT.


Correspondence: saskull@unimelb.edu.au

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  • 4. Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing. Australian Childhood Immunisation Register — redevelopment scoping study. Canberra: Department of Health and Ageing, 2006.
  • 5. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. 2004 Adult Vaccination Survey: summary results. Canberra: AIHW and Department of Health and Ageing, 2005. (AIHW Cat. No. PHE 56.)
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  • 9. Mac Donald R, Baken L, Nelson A, Nichol KL. Validation of self-report of influenza and pneumococcal vaccination status in elderly outpatients. Am J Prev Med 1999; 16: 173-177.
  • 10. Zimmerman RK, Raymund M, Janosky JE, et al. Sensitivity and specificity of patient self-report of influenza and pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccinations among elderly outpatients in diverse patient care strata. Vaccine 2003; 21: 1486-1491.
  • 11. Skull SA, Andrews RM, Byrnes GB, et al. Missed opportunities to vaccinate a cohort of hospitalized elderly with pneumococcal and influenza vaccines. Vaccine 2007; 25: 5146-5154.
  • 12. Nowalk MP, Zimmerman RK, Feghali J. Missed opportunities for adult immunization in diverse primary care office settings. Vaccine 2004; 22: 3457-3463.
  • 13. Stanley FJ, Meslin EM. Australia needs a better system for health care evaluation [editorial]. Med J Aust 2007; 186: 220-221. <MJA full text>

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