Connect
MJA
MJA

Adolescent immunisation in young people with disabilities in Australia

Jenny O'Neill, Fiona Newall, Giuliana Antolovich, Sally Lima and Margie H Danchin
Med J Aust 2019; 211 (5): . || doi: 10.5694/mja2.50293
Published online: 2 September 2019

More research is needed to understand the barriers to optimal adolescent immunisation for students with disabilities

The benefits of immunisation in preventing or reducing the severity of vaccine‐preventable diseases and eliminating or reducing the risk of associated complications have been well documented. Importantly, immunisation is also a powerful means by which the inequity of poor health can be reduced, particularly in vulnerable groups that have a high burden of infectious diseases. This has been illustrated in immunisation research in refugees and other migrants, as well as in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, and in low income or resource poor settings.1,2,3,4,5 However, there is a paucity of research about immunisation for people with disabilities, another medically at‐risk and socially marginalised group.


  • 1 University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC
  • 2 Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, VIC
  • 3 Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, VIC
  • 4 Bendigo Health, Bendigo, VIC


Correspondence: jenny.oneill@rch.org.au

Competing interests:

No relevant disclosures.

Author

remove_circle_outline Delete Author
add_circle_outline Add Author

Comment
Do you have any competing interests to declare? *

I/we agree to assign copyright to the Medical Journal of Australia and agree to the Conditions of publication *
I/we agree to the Terms of use of the Medical Journal of Australia *
Email me when people comment on this article

Online responses are no longer available. Please refer to our instructions for authors page for more information.