Immunisation - A Public Health Issue: Judith Moreton Programme Manager
Immunisation - A Public Health Issue: Judith Moreton Programme Manager
World situation
World Health Organization (WHO) Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) 1974 six target diseases: diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, measles & tuberculosis inequity to vaccination programmes: R&D &
funding of new & existing vaccines immunisation safety
State of the Worlds Vaccines and Immunization, WHO, 2002
Inactivated vaccines: killed whole organisms e.g. pertussis inactivated bacterial toxins, e.g. diphtheria & tetanus acellular vaccine e.g. pertussis Polysaccharide vaccines plain polysaccharide e.g. pneumococcal for over 2s polysaccharide conjugate e.g. Hib, MenC Live attenuated e.g. MMR, polio & BCG Combination vaccines e.g. DTP-Hib, MMR
Adverse events
all medicines, including vaccines can cause adverse events three general categories: local systemic allergic real v myth
Successful immunisation
production of a safe and effective vaccine maintaining cold chain from point of manufacture to administration ordering and storage consent injection into correct site using the correct technique ? Immune response in individual
annual health professional survey: impact of publicity awareness & evaluation of materials assessing the needs of GPs, practice nurses & health visitors
Information
Resources: leaflets, factsheets, FAQs, websites, green book, posters, videos
professional mailings - CMO letters/updates
Advertising: TV & radio, parent and professional journals, newspapers press & public relations
Professional responsibility
responsibility of being reliably informed responsibility of not just simply providing the facts, but of our own informed opinion and support for immunisation responsibility for promoting immunisation as the most important of all medical interventions
It is every childs right to be protected against infectious disease. No child should be denied immunisation without serious thought as to the consequences, both for the individual child and for the community