Health minister 'heartened' by rising child immunisation rates
Photo:
AFP
Health Minister Simeon Brown is "heartened" by rising childhood immunisation rates, with national coverage climbing to just under 80 percent in the first three months of the year.
National coverage at 24 months climbed to 79.3 percent in the third quarter of 2024/25 - up 2.4 percentage points compared to the same quarter last year.
"Protecting children from preventable illnesses like measles and whooping cough is a priority, so it's heartening to see more children across the country now fully immunised," Brown said.
"These results show that our clear focus on health targets, combined with the efforts of our frontline workforce, is delivering real improvements for children."
The biggest increase was in South Canterbury, which delivered a "remarkable" 12.1 point gain this quarter.
That region had the third-highest coverage rate in the country - 87.5 percent - just behind Canterbury (89.9 percent) and Capital and Coast (88.9 percent).
"Auckland lifted its coverage by 5.7 percentage points, Counties Manukau by 5.5, and Lakes by 5.2. Capital and Coast rose by 4.4 points, while Whanganui achieved a 5.8-point gain," Brown said.
The rise in immunisation coverage was especially important following
the recent measles cases in Wairarapa, he continued
.
"Measles is highly infectious, and vaccination remains the most effective way to protect our children and communities.
Simeon Brown.
Photo:
RNZ / Nick Monro
"Every additional child immunised lowers the chance of outbreaks, helping to keep our families, schools, and communities safe and healthy."
Wairarapa was one of five districts where immunisation coverage dipped compared with the same quarter last year.
One (Southern) remained the same, while 14 others recorded increases.
Brown said childhood immunisations were a key priority for the government.
"That's why this government has introduced performance payments for GP clinics that lift childhood immunisation rates by up to 10 percentage points, or reach 95 percent of their enrolled population - with partial payments for partial achievement."
The interim target was to have 84 percent of two-year-olds fully vaccinated by June.
Operational data released by the minister in May (yet to be verified) showed vaccination rates continued to rise after March, exceeding 80 percent (80.2 percent) for the first time since early 2022.
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