Why immunisation is important

Immunisation is one of the best ways you can protect yourself, your children and future generations from infectious diseases. In other words, if you vaccinate, you help wipe out diseases that could spread now and into the future.

By making sure you and your family are fully vaccinated (by following the National Immunisation Program Schedule set by the Australian Government), you are not only looking after your own family but also protecting vulnerable people in your community. The more people who are vaccinated, the fewer people will be infected, and the less widely a disease can spread.

Immunisation saves lives. As recently as the 1950s, thousands of children died every year from diseases such as tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough (pertussis). Luckily, it is rare for anyone in Australia to die from these infectious diseases now, thanks to the major vaccination programs introduced in the 1960s and 1970s, which continue today.

All immunisations work in the same way. The vaccination uses your body’s immune system to increase protection to an infection before you come into contact with that infection. In other words, it is like being infected with the disease without suffering the actual symptoms.

If you come into contact with an infection after you’ve been vaccinated, your body works to stop you from getting the disease, or you may get just a mild case. Unlike other proposed approaches to immunisation (such as homeopathy), vaccinations have been rigorously tested to demonstrate their safety and effectiveness in protecting against infectious disease.

Some people in our community cannot be vaccinated. This might be because they are too young or too sick. You can help protect these vulnerable people by keeping your family’s vaccinations up to date.

When you get vaccinated, you are playing an important role in keeping yourself and your community safe.

When enough people in the community are vaccinated, the spread of a disease slows down or stops completely – this is because the disease can’t move easily from person to person. So as long as enough people are vaccinated, the disease will not spread. This is called herd immunity or community immunity and protects friends, family and others, especially those who cannot be immunised.

Many infectious diseases are rare or not around anymore, thanks to vaccination. But there are still infectious disease outbreaks happening around the world today:

No vaccines exist for Zika, Ebola or HIV/AIDS, but research is underway.

To keep you, your family and your community safe, governments need a complete picture of immunisation. That is where immunisation surveillance comes in. Immunisation surveillance involves researching and collating information on immunisation programs.

Many countries have an official immunisation surveillance body (for example, the CDC in the United States). Australia has one too, called the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS).

The NCIRS was set up in 1997 as an independent expert on immunisation and focuses on:

It can take a long time to develop a new vaccine. The development process is rigorous, and the vaccine is constantly monitored – even after it is being used – to make sure it is safe and effective.

A new vaccine goes through many phases of development, including research, discovery, pre-clinical testing, clinical testing and regulatory approval. Once the vaccine is approved, the vaccine is then manufactured and shipped to where it’s needed.

In certain circumstances, increased resources, concurrent clinical trials and funding can fast-track development, such as in the case of the COVID-19 vaccines.

After vaccines are introduced into immunisation schedules, they are closely monitored through trials and surveillance to see if they are effective and safe. In Australia, there are regional and national surveillance systems actively looking for any adverse events following immunisation. This is necessary, as sometimes unexpected side effects occur after vaccines are registered for use.

Some vaccines, such as the flu vaccination, need to be updated every year to respond to changing infection strains and conditions. For these updates, the process is compressed to ensure the vaccine is available as needed.

The answer is simple – almost everyone. There are some exceptions – usually people with a serious medical condition (for example, a weak immune system). But don’t ever decide against immunisation without checking with your GP first.

Your doctor will advise which vaccinations you need based on your HALO: health condition, age, lifestyle and occupation. The Immunisation for Life infographic can help you determine which immunisations you may need.

If 95% of us are vaccinated, the spread of disease is reduced, which helps to protect everyone. Vaccination is particularly recommended if you:

Remember, if you are not sure about what immunisations you need, talk to your GP. If you find you are not up-to-date with your vaccinations, your GP will tell you about catch-up and booster shots.

There is also lots of information online. If you would like to know more about immunisation, check out the Australian Government’s Immunisation website, where there is information about how immunisation works, and the safety of vaccines.