Hot Topics

2012 School Year Brings Benefits for Immunisation

31 Jan 2012

The Australian General Practice Network (AGPN) is reminding parents about changes to the Family Tax Benefit Part A Supplement this year, in which children need to be fully immunised for parents to receive the benefit which is worth $726 per child.
AGPN Chair, Dr Emil Djakic said that while the changes don’t come into effect until July 1 2012, the beginning of the school year is a good time to start ‘regrouping’ with your family doctor or immunisation provider on immunisations to be done.

Click here to read the rest of this AGPN News Release.

Whooping Cough Spooks New Parents

23 Jan 2012

There have been 257 cases of whooping cough already reported this year in Queensland. many fearful parents are isolating their newborn children from anyone who has not been vaccinated against pertussis. Last year in Queensland, officials recorded 8,841 cases of whooping cough, 621 more than the year before. To protect infants too young to be vaccinated, health experts recommened simple hygiene, such as washing hands before and after handling the baby, and keeping newborns away from anyone with a cough.

Click here to read the full article by Amy Remeikis in the Brisbane Times.

Vaccine knocks out Serotype B Meningococcus

23 Jan 2012

A study of 1,631 adolescents between the ages of 11 and 17 years shows that an investigational vaccine against Neisseria meningitidis, or serogroup B meningococcus, provides near-universal protection. The level of antibody titers rose to almost 100 percent with a booster dose. Published in The Lancet, the study indicates that two doses of 4CMenB may be ideal, with the second dose given one to six months after the first.

Click here for more information.

Polio cases in Afghanistan triple, despite previous years of decline

23 Jan 2012

After falling to 25 in 2010, the number of polio cases reported in Afghanistan (one of the few nations where the disease is still endemic) rose to 76 in 2011, according to the Afghan Ministry of Public Health. The three-fold increase is troubling to health officials, especially since some of the cases were reported in areas of the country where the disease is not traditionally seen. The jump in polio cases likely will be declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organisation.

Click here to read the full story by Rod Nordland in the New York Times.

India marks first year without new polio cases

16 Jan 2012

With the march against polio continuing, India has marked a significant, and unprecedented, milestone with no new polio cases reported for one year. The World Health Organisation says major challenges still lie ahead before India can be declared completely polio-free but in a year when there were outbreaks in central Asian countries and Russia, this is a great accomplishment.
Richard Lindell (published by ABC news) delves into this major achievement for the eradication of Polio with this story.

ATAGI updates their recommendations for revaccination of adults with 23vPPV

16 Jan 2012

ATAGI has reviewed available evidence on the safety, efficacy and effectiveness of the 23vPPV and its place within the national Immunisation Program (NIP). A definite modest level of protection against invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) is afforded by 23vPPV for adults and older adults. Whilst systemic and local reactions after 23vPPV are common, local reactions occur more commonly in repeat dose recipients compared with first dose recipients. In light of this, ATAGI recommends that a second dose is no longer applicable for those without any condition that predisposes them to an increased risk of IPD.
Click here for more details.

Measles: Recognition and public health management

16 Jan 2012

Queensland Health is providing this video and slide presentation by Dr Brad McCall, Public Health Physician at Brisbane South PHU and Dr Michael Nissen, Infectious Diseases Physician and Microbiologist at the Royal Children's Hospital. The presentation centres on the recognition and public health management of measles in order to be aware of infection control measures.

Note: Do not hit the 'Full Screen' option whilst viewing the video, as you will not be able to see the accompanying slide presentation. If you are in 'Full Screen', press Esc to go back to the presentation.

Ethical Issues in Immunisation Seminar

10 Jan 2012

NCIRS is hosting a forum that asks how Australia can achieve the most ethically sound vaccination programs. Topics covered will include vaccine funding, public engagement, vaccine safety and compensation, communication, incentives and mandates.

The cost is TBA. For more information, please click here.

Influenza Vaccination for Pregnant Women

09 Jan 2012

Influenza vaccination during pregnancy should be routine. Preventing influenza during pregnancy is an essential part of antenatal care as there is an increased risk to pregnant women of serious illness as a result of influenza. The safety is well established, as are the benefits preventing respiratory illness for mother and infant.

No study to date has shown an adverse consequence of inactivated influenza vaccine in pregnant women or their offspring, so regardless of gestation, all pregnant women are recommended to seek out influenza vaccination.

Please visit The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists website for more information.

Immunisation Incentives Adjusted to Maximise Coverage

19 Dec 2011

The Australian General Practice Network (AGPN) has welcomed the Federal Government’s reforms to the childhood immunisation incentive program that is delivered predominantly through the Divisions of General Practice and Medicare Locals.
Click here to read the AGPN official news release.

New Online Immunisation Learning Module

19 Dec 2011

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) has released a new online learning activity for GPs and other immunisation providers to help with a complex immunisation consultation.
The new GP learning activity ‘Dealing with a complex immunisation consultation’ covers catch-up vaccinations, variations required because of underlying illness or medically-at- risk patients and questions regarding effects and benefits of vaccination. The online learning activity aims to enhance immunisation providers’ skills in completing a vaccine encounter more efficiently.

National Pertussis Communication Campaign

19 Dec 2011

The national pertussis communication campaign has commenced with brochures and posters now available on the Immunise Australia Program website. The campaign includes:
A letter and brochure from the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) outlining the importance of vaccination against pertussis, to be delivered to new parents registering a newborn on their Medicare card. The initial mail out will also include new parents who have enrolled new born infants during the previous four months. This new parent letter is scheduled to continue until May 2013.
A letter, including brochures and a poster from the CMO to immunisation providers.
The pertussis brochure to be included in the Centrelink Parent pack for new parents and the department will be distributing a letter to midwives in the near future. Other aspects of the communication campaign will be rolled out next year.

Pertussis Information

13 Sep 2011

Click here to find out more information on Pertussis (Whooping Cough) immunisation and a state by state breakdown to determine eligibility and where to obtain your vaccination.

Vaccines saves lives animation

15 Jul 2011

HPV Register

13 Jul 2011

The National HPV Vaccination Program Register (HPV Register) is a confidential database that collects details about HPV vaccinations given in Australia. The HPV Register supports the National HPV Vaccination Program funded by the Australian Government. The HPV Register plays an essential role in monitoring and evaluating the program by recording information about HPV vaccine doses administered in Australia.

Services provided by the HPV Register

GPs are encouraged to notify Gardasil doses to the HPV Register. The benefits of notification are:

Girls/women will receive a Completion Statement once all 3 vaccinations have been administered and notified to the Register
Girls within the schools program, with incomplete courses, will receive a History Statement to remind them to complete the 3 dose course
The Register will provide on-line Overdue Dose reports to GPs and public immunisation providers who have registered for on-line access with the HPV Register (for most states)
Providers are able to contact the Register’s Telephone Information Service or view on-line the vaccination status of their patients
If in the future a booster dose is required, the HPV Register will contact consumers to provide appropriate advice
Participation in the HPV Register will assist in monitoring how the HPV Vaccination Program is working and measure the effect of the vaccine on cervical cancer

Please contact the HPV Register on 1800 478 734 (1800 HPV REG) for assistance in submitting Gardasil vaccination notifications, or to check the vaccination status of patients. Providers registered for on-line access with the HPV Register, can use the Search facility to check vaccination status of their patients.

How to notify the vaccine doses to the HPV Register

There are a three ways you can notify doses to the HPV Register;

1. Practice Management Software - you can generate reports from your software, print them off and fax to the HPV Register on Fax (03) 8360 8699. For step by step instructions with screen dumps showing how to do this for some of the medical software programs click here.

2. Complete the HPV Register single dose notification form click here. Post the printed report to PO Box 725, Sunshine Vic 3020 or Fax to (03) 8360 8699

3. Enter vaccination details directly via the HPV Register Secure website.

Vaccine Fridges Tested

19 May 2009

AGPN has commissioned the testing of a range of vaccine purposed built refridgerators by Test Research, the thermal testing organisation of the Austalian Consumer Association or CHOICE.

Testing of Vaccine Purpose Built Fridges

In 2004 the National Vaccine Storage Workshop was held to develop a strategy to improve vaccine management in Australia and cut down on cold chain breaches. Vaccines are very sensitive biological substances and are inactivated by freezing in particular and by long periods of overheating. The workshop determined (evidence based) that the ideal storage was in the range of 2 to 8 degree C and requested that the Commonwealth publish and promote this. The resulting publication, Strive for 5 was sent to each practice and made freely available from mid 2006. The Commonwealth, the jurisdictions and the general practice network have worked together to improve cold chain for immunisation.

Strive for 5 promotes the use of vaccine purpose built fridges or appropriately stacked and prepared non cyclic domestic fridges. The strategy discourages the use of bar fridges as they are unreliable at maintaining consistent temperatures over a 24 hour period.

The general practice network has encouraged the purchase of vaccine fridges and worked with practices to improve vaccine management across the board. This involves monitoring or logging fridges daily and making sure that vaccines are appropriately stored within the fridge as well.

In early 2008 AGPN approached the Test Research Organisation which is part of the Australian Consumer Association responsible for the testing carried out and published by CHOICE. The Test Research thermal laboratory team, headed by Geoff Day, agreed to run a series of tests for AGPN to determine the efficiency of various fridges.

AGPN is grateful to the following for providing funding for this research;

The Sunshine Coast Population Health Unit,

and the 4 main vaccine companies involved with the National Immunisation Program

CSL,
GSK,
Wyeth, and
Sanofi Pasteur.

AGPN tabled a draft report at the NIC meeting late last year and since then an NIC subcommittee has been formed to work with Standards Australia to develop appropriate standards for these fridges. AGPN is a member of this subcommittee.

The important points raised by this testing are as follows:

All fridges need to be monitored and the temperatures read twice daily to ensure good vaccine management.
The vaccine fridges tested were stable at the lower temperatures and hence dealt with the most important issue of freezing of vaccines. Frozen vaccines have been most problematic for providers and the most costly for government - frozen vaccine is not viable and needs to be discarded.
All tested fridges were reasonably stable at normal ambient operating temperatures (around 25 degrees C) and maintained 2 to 8 degrees. One brand did not operate well at higher temperatures (testing to 43 degrees) and would therefore not be efficient in hotter areas of Australia without constant air conditioning.
All vaccine fridges lacked reasonable thermal mass and did not maintain their temperature below 8 degrees for more than 30 minutes when the power was cut. They would need vaccines moved to prepared cold boxes or packed with cold bricks. This issue needs to be dealt with by a regulated standard.

For the full report - Vaccine Fridge Testing Report

Remember, if you have questions about vaccine management or a cold chain breach, contact your public health unit and your division.

General Practice Network Influenza Study

03 Apr 2009

In 2008, AGPN worked in conjunction with the State Based Organisation Immunisation Coordinators and divisional immunisation program officers to collect information on the level of influenza immunisation amongst general practice staff. This study provides a baseline for future work in this area. There have been studies looking at the flu immunisation rates for health care workers in other areas with results indicating a very low level of uptake.

The results from the general practice network indicate that although much less than ideal, the coverage levels are far better than those in the acute health care system or residential aged care facilities.

General practice is well placed to lead by example to raise awareness of the need for influenza immunisation, in particular for those with high risk factors or who are in a situation where duty of care for others is involved.

We are very grateful to Kirsten Ward, the SBO Immunisation Coordinator for General Practice NSW for compiling the full report of the study.

General Practice Influenza Study 2008