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Calls for segregation of unvaccinated children
Back to school and child care after the summer holidays and for many it's for the first time. A lot of parents can be caught out when they realise at the last minute that their children's vaccinations are not up to date. Do not forget to get them vaccinated.
Over the last weeks there has been a flurry of media activity in the anti-vaccination debate, due to the cancellation of the Australian tour of controversial American "anti-vaccination advocate", Sherri Tenpenny and now a RiAus director Dr Paul Willis, has said that children whose parents refuse to vaccinate them should be isolated from others.
According to Dr Willis, interviewed in the South Australian, children who are unvaccinated present a threat to the rest of the community, so if parents do not wish to have their children vaccinated, they should carry the full cost of that decision. He says that access to public facilities, particularly schools and preschools, should require vaccination.
"We have speed limits and road rules to ensure the safety of others on the road. So it should be with the choice to vaccinate. Your choice should not be allowed to put others at risk."
South Australians are increasingly refusing to vaccinate their children. More than 3064 children were not fully immunised as of last September - up from 2568 two years earlier - because of parents raising "conscientious objections" with their doctors.
Sherri Tenpenny, an osteopath who does not believe vaccines are safe for children or effective in the eradication of disease, was booked to speak at a host of venues in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide in February and March.
However, pressure from communities and from the Stop the Australian (Anti) Vaccination Network has led to most of the venues deciding to not give Ms Tenpenny the forum to pedal her ridiculous theories.
Tim Vines, the head of Civil Liberties Australia, said that denying Ms Tenpenny the right to speak would set a dangerous precedent, even if her ideas were unscientific.
But, as John Cunningham, an orthopaedic surgeon, who heads up The Stop the Australian (Anti) Vaccination Network, explained: "We support free speech, but we also support the right to publicly criticise and impede people who want to spread fear, hysteria and misinformation," he said.
Of course there is a very small minority of objectors to vaccinating children, and this is largely due to misinformation, scaremongering and unsubstantiated stories of vaccines linked to other illnesses and syndromes such as autism, which has been proven to have no founding.
Vaccines do prevent deadly diseases. Diseases you or I would hope our children or friends' children would never be affected by. And ongoing vaccination is key to making sure these diseases don't get the chance to ever take hold again.
When you enrol in school or child care, you will need to provide an Immunisation History Statement for your child, which can be obtained by contacting the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register.
The Public Health Amendment (Vaccination of Children Attending Child Care Facilities) Bill 2013 states that child care facilities cannot enrol a child unless approved documentation has been provided that shows the child:
- Is fully vaccinated for their age, or;
- Has a medical reason not to be vaccinated, or;
- Has a parent/guardian who has a conscientious objection to vaccination or;
- Is on a recognised catch-up schedule if the child has fallen behind with their vaccinations.
Not accepting children without vaccines is not designed to exclude or discriminate, but simply to protect the children and teachers and also to protect those unvaccinated and therefore unprotected kids.
Although only 1.5 per cent of parents are "vaccine refusers" or conscientious objectors, many parents are simply forgetful, leaving some areas with vaccination rates below 85 per cent - despite the inarguable scientific proof that the vaccination program has saved thousands of lives and eradicated diseases that crippled children just a generation ago, including polio.
Click here for the current vaccine schedule |
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