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Page Last Updated:
Friday, 21 January 2011
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Home>Council Services>Health Services>Immunisation>What is Immunisation?
 What is immunisation?
How does immunisation work?
What is contained in vaccines?
How long does it take before a vaccine will take effect?
How long does a vaccine provide protection?
Why do children receive so many vaccines?
Do children have to be immunised?
What if I object to my child being immunised?
| What is immunisation? | | Immunisation can protect people against harmful infections, which can cause serious complications, including death. Immunisation uses the body’s natural defence mechanism - the immune response - to build resistance to specific infections. These diseases, which can be prevented by routine childhood immunisation, are included in the National Immunisation Program Schedule.
chickenpox (varicella)
diphtheria
Haemophilus influenzae (type b (Hib)
hepatitis A*
hepatitis B
measles
meningococcal C
mumps
pneumococcal
polio (poliomyelitis)
rotavirus
rubella
tetanus
whooping cough (pertussis)
*Indigenous children in Queensland, Northern Territory, Western Australia and South Australia are protected against hepatitis A. Top
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| How does immunisation work? | | | All forms of immunisation work in the same way. When a person is vaccinated, their body produces an immune response in the same way their body would after exposure to a disease, but without the person suffering any symptoms of the disease. When a person comes in contact with that disease in the future, their immune system will respond fast enough to prevent the person developing the disease. Top
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| What is contained in vaccines? | | Vaccines contain either:
• a very small dose of a live, but weakened form of a virus;
• a very small dose of killed bacteria or virus or small parts of bacteria; or
• a small dose of a modified toxin produced by bacteria.
Vaccines may also contain either a small amount of preservative or a small amount of an antibiotic to preserve the vaccine. Some vaccines may also contain a small amount of an aluminium salt which helps produce a better immune response.Top
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| How long does it take before a vaccine will take effect? | | | In general, the normal immune response takes approximately two weeks to work. This means protection from an infection will not occur immediately after immunisation. Most immunisations need to be given several times to build long lasting protection. For example, a child who has been given only one or two doses of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine (DTPa) is only partially protected against diphtheria, whooping cough (pertussis) and tetanus, and may become sick if exposed to these diseases. Top
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| How long does a vaccine provide protection? | | | The protective effect of immunisations is not always for a lifetime. Some, like tetanus vaccine, can last up to 30 years, after which, a booster dose may be given. Some immunisations, such as whooping cough (pertussis), give protection for about five years after a full course. Top
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| Why do children receive so many vaccines? | | A number of immunisations are required in the first few years of a child’s life to protect the child against the most serious infections of childhood. The immune system in young children does not work as well as the immune system in older children and adults, because it is still immature. Therefore more doses of vaccine are needed. In the first months of life, a baby is protected from most infectious diseases by antibodies from her or his mother, which are transferred to the baby during pregnancy. When these antibodies wear off, the baby is at risk of serious infections and so the first immunisations are given before these antibodies have gone.
Another reason why children get many immunisations is that new vaccines against serious infections continue to be developed. The number of injections is reduced by the use of combination vaccines, where several vaccines are combined into one shot.
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| Do children have to be immunised? | | There are two reasons for immunising every child in Australia:
1. Immunisation is the safest and most effective way of giving protection against the disease. After immunisation, your child is far less likely to catch the disease if there are cases in the community. The benefit of protection against the disease far outweighs the very small risks of immunisation.
2. If enough people in the community are immunised, the infection can no longer be spread from person to person and the disease dies out altogether. This is how smallpox was eliminated from the world, and polio has disappeared from many countries.Top
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| What are the side effects of vaccines? | | Common side effects of immunisation are redness and soreness at the site of injections and mild fever. While these symptoms may concern you and upset your child at the time, the benefit of immunisation is protection from the disease. Paracetamol can be used to help ease the fever and soreness, but care needs to be taken to follow the dosage instructions. More serious reactions to immunisation are very rare. Other side effects are very rare but if they do occur, a doctor should be consulted immediately.
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| What if I object to my child being immunised? | | A ‘conscientious objector’ is a parent or guardian who objects to their child/children receiving immunisation. They may object to all immunisations or one or more. It is a legal requirement for primary school entry under Division 7 of the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 that an Immunisation Status Certificate for a child is provided to schools. Generally Immunisation Status Certificates are issued to parents by the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register (ACIR) once their child receives their 4 year old immunisations. Knox Council may also provide an Immunisation Status Certificate however this will depend on whether we have details of all childhood vaccinations that were given. If we do not have all of this information then we may not be able to provide a certificate. A certificate can state the following:
1. That the child has been immunised against all applicable diseases according to the current health (immunisation) regulations, or
2. That the child has not been immunised against one or more of these diseases.
In relation to a child that has not been immunised, we can provide a certificate when this is due to a conscientious objection however there is a procedure that must be followed before a certificate can be issued. You should contact Knox Council’s Health Services for more information on 9298 8000.
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| This information has been obtained from the above Department of Health and Ageing website and from a publication called ‘Myths and Realities: responding to arguments against immunisation’. This publication can be viewed or downloaded from the Department of Health and Ageing website. If you have any further questions about immunisation or would like to obtain further information please contact Knox Council’s Health Services on 9298 8000. You should also discuss any concerns you may have with your doctor or you can contact the Department of Health and Ageing on 1300 882 008.
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