'TALKING HEALTH'

Its around 50 years since Australia began its childhood immunisation program. Prior to this thousands of children died from infectious diseases like measles, diphtheria and whooping cough. Tetanus was a constant fear and Polio sent shockwaves through communities and left many young people paralysed.

Today children are routinely vaccinated against many previously deadly diseases.  Parents these days can expect their children to grow up not fearing death in infancy, not fearing polio devastation.

In my 25 year medical care while most of the changes happened in my childhood  I have still  noted the difference. I have witnessed the huge reduction in serious ear infections and meningitis.

But still there is a small pocket of skeptics - people who would have you put your child and the community at risk by not immunising them. They think immunisation is a dangerous medical conspiracy.  I say they are tragically misguided.

The most recent of these unsound extremist scare campaigns  was around the Human Papilloma Vaccine. Yes there were adverse reactions but no more than with any other vaccine. Every medication carries some risk. Its the balance of risk versus benefit that is important.

In wake of the confusion around gardasil , it is time to put immunisation in perspective once and for all and blow away the myths.

The message to remember is immunsation saves lives. The benefits far outweigh the risks.

MY GUESTS INCLUDE 

Dr John Carnie - Chief Health Officer for Victoria. He is responsible for a variety of statutory functions under the Health and Food Acts including closure of food premises; recall of food products, pharmaceuticals, poisons; closure of water sources, amenities, fisheries; restraint/detention of persons endangering the public health; and works approvals regarding the health consequences of mining, infrastructure projects etc.

The Chief Health Officer also acts as the Government's media spokesperson on matters relating to the control of disease and the promotion of health as required eg communicable diseases, land/air/water contamination, radiation, food safety, ethics, public health emergencies.

Assoc Professor Michael Quinn -  the Director of  gynecological cancer service at the Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne and Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Melbourne. 

Dr Kathy McNamee - Medical Director of Family Planning Victoria

Dr Jenny Royle -   Pediatrician  and  director of  the Royal Children's Hospital Childhood Immunisation Service 

Dr Rachel David -  Director of Public Affairs for CSL manufacturers of Gardasil - the human Papilloma Virus vaccine for females under 26.

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT STATEMENT ABOUT GARDASIL SAFETY

• "The overall level of reporting for GARDASIL®, following the distribution of approximately 2.2 per million doses in Australia, is very low and consistent with that for other new vaccines and rates reported from other countries. Worldwide, almost 20 million doses have been given. With this number of people receiving the vaccine, even if all healthy and young, some serious events can be expected within days or hours of vaccination by chance alone but not related to vaccination.
• In Australia, adverse events reported following vaccines are all reviewed every 6 weeks by an expert committee, the Adverse Drug Reactions Advisory Committee (ADRAC), which advises the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). Every six months, detailed reports of adverse events are published in Communicable Disease Intelligence, a quarterly publication of the Department of Health and Ageing, which is distributed to members of the Communicable Diseases Network Australia and other interested health and immunisation providers. No deaths occurring after GARDASIL® have been reported in Australia and no deaths directly linked to the vaccine have been reported in the USA. "
  •  TGA 6 Dec 2007 - click here

LINKS AND MORE INFO

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IMMUNISE AUSTRALIA PROGRAM  click here

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CERVICAL CANCER PREVENTION PROGRAM click here

PROF MICHAEL QUINN  click here

FAMILY PLANNING VICTORIA click here

CSL VACCINES - click here  for CSL info on GARDASIL click here  and here

ROYAL CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL IMMUNISATION SERVICE ck here

SAEFVIC: Surveillance of Adverse Events Following Vaccination In the Community cck here

TGA ADRAC ( adverse drug reaction advisory committee for the Therapeutic Goods Administration ) - click here

OFFICE OF THE  CHIEF HEALTH OFFICER FOR VICTORIA  click here

MY ARTICLE ON IMMUNISATION  click here