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Media Release

1 May 2007

National Immunisation Register

Latest data from the National Immunisation Register (NIR) shows 80% of New Zealand babies are fully immunised at 12 months of age.

It is the first time that immunisation coverage data from the NIR has been published. There are now more than 100,000 Kiwi children on the Register.

Dr Alison Roberts, Senior Advisor of Public Health Medicine says the National Immunisation Register is a computerised information system that stores the immunisation details of children born in New Zealand since December 2005. The NIR was implemented to improve immunisation coverage rates. The NIR helps health professionals keep track of the number of vaccines children may or may not have received, regardless of whether they move to different locations around the country.

"An 80% immunisation coverage rate gives us a baseline to work from. However, the national target is 95% of New Zealand children are fully immunised by two years of age. We do have a long way to go and the Ministry is continuing to focus on immunisation as a key health priority."

Dr Roberts says the NIR data varies by ethnicity, district health board (DHB) and deprivation index. For example, nationally at age one 85% of New Zealand European and Asian children were fully immunised; 77% of Pacific children were fully immunised and 71% of Maori children were fully immunised.

"It is important to note though that the NIR data shows immunisation coverage of children born in each DHB region after the NIR 'go live dates'. The NIR started on 18 April 2005 in Counties Manukau and Waitemata DHBS and the last DHB to 'go live' was Nelson Marlborough on 5 December 2005. Children born before the NIR went live in their DHB are not captured as part of the report."

"From now on, NIR data will be published every three months and will be available on the Ministry of Health website (http://www.moh.govt.nz/moh.nsf/indexmh/immunisation-coverage-data). Publication of the immunisation coverage data provides information to monitor coverage rates and progress towards the immunisation coverage target of 95% of children fully immunised by age two years. New Zealand reports on immunisation coverage to international organisations such as the World Health Organization who may use the coverage data as a measure of child health in New Zealand", says Alison Roberts.

She says from January 2008, the NIR will report on immunisation coverage for two-year-old children for every DHB.

For further information please contact Rebecca Walsh, Media Advisor, 04 496 2115

ENDS

Question and Answer Fact Sheet

1. What does the coverage data actually measure?

The immunisation coverage data shows the number of children who have turned the milestone age (6, 12 or 18 months) during the previous 3 months nationally and in each district health board (DHB). Of those children who turned the milestone age during the previous 3 months, the coverage data shows how many received all of their age appropriate immunisations by the time they turned the milestone age.

Milestone Age	Immunisations
6 month	6 weeks, 3 months, 5 months
12 month	6 weeks, 3 months, 5 months
18 month	6 weeks, 3 months, 5 months, 15 months
24 month	6 weeks, 3 months, 5 months, 15 months
5 years	6 weeks, 3 months, 5 months, 15 months, 4 years
12 years	6 weeks, 3 months, 5 months, 15 months, 4 years, 11 years

Note: because the MeNZB^TM immunisation is a special programme, the MeNZB^TM immunisations are not included in the immunisation coverage data of the Childhood Immunisation Schedule.

2. Why are there variations in immunisation coverage between different DHBs?

Reasons why immunisation coverage levels differ between DHBs include:

the number of children in the DHB, variations in ethnicity, deprivation level, rurality and number of providers
different strategies used within the DHBs to improve coverage.

All DHBs are working towards achieving the national immunisation coverage target of 95 percent of children fully immunised by age two years.

3. Why does the data show 6 and 12 month milestone ages for some DHBs and 6, 12 and 18 month milestone ages for other DHBs?

The NIR was started in New Zealand during 2005 for new babies - the first DHBs to "go live" were Counties Manukau and Waitemata on 18 April 2005. Nelson Marlborough was the last DHB to go live on 5 December 2005. Only children born after the date the NIR went live in their DHB are recorded on the NIR. Therefore, in some DHBs the NIR has not been in operation long enough to report on 18 month milestone age data. As the children grow older, the coverage report will also show immunisation coverage for the five year and 12 year milestone ages.

4. What does Dep 1-2 mean?

‘Dep’ stands for deprivation index. The reports show immunisation coverage by level of deprivation. The deprivation index refers to the average level of deprivation of people living in an area at a particular point in time, relative to the whole of New Zealand. Deprivation refers to areas (based on New Zealand Census meshblocks) rather than individuals. Nine indicators are combined to reflect aspects of material and social deprivation and form the deprivation index. The nine indicators are:

benefit incomes
unemployment
low income earning
access to car
access to telephone
sole-parent families
lack of formal educational qualifications
level of home ownership
living space within a home.

Dep 1-2 are areas with the least deprivation, Dep 9-10 are areas with the most deprivation. The Datamart matches the address of the individual to the level of deprivation for that area.

Health researchers may use levels of deprivation to describe the relationship between socioeconomic deprivation and health outcomes - increasing levels of deprivation are associated with higher mortality rates and higher rates of many diseases.

5. What is the Ministry doing to ensure DHBs are working towards achieving the national coverage rate target to have 95% of children fully immunised by age 2 two years?

The Ministry and DHBs are working together to improve immunisation coverage in New Zealand and progress towards the target of 95 percent of children fully immunised by age two years. DHBs have formed immunisation steering groups. Members of the steering group may include:

immunisation coordinators
NIR Administrators
planning and funding managers
PHO representatives
Māori and Pacific providers
outreach immunisation coordinators.

The steering groups meet regularly to develop strategies and implement activities to improve immunisation coverage. The DHBs report to the Ministry every three months on these activities and their immunisation coverage data.

Ministry representatives may attend the DHB immunisation meetings, and may also attend regional meetings of DHB NIR Administrators to contribute to these discussions.

The Ministry is developing new resources for health care providers, parents and care givers to improve understanding about the importance of immunisation.

6. Why did the Ministry of Health publicly say earlier in April that the 2005 National Childhood Immunisation Survey showed 82% coverage at age 12 months and the NIR data is different?

The National Childhood Immunisation Survey was undertaken in 2005 using a sample of 1563 caregiver respondents. The data was then analysed and weighted to given population estimates of national immunisation coverage levels. The NIR records the immunisation status of the total population of children enrolled on the register showing an accurate measure for the previous 3 months.

7. Where can parents and the public get more general information about immunisation?

General information about immunisation and vaccines can be obtained from your General practitioner, practice nurse, primary health care provider, Māori/Pacific healthcare providers, public health units and DHB Immunisation Coordinators.

Further information on the NIR data and strategies can be obtained from each DHB Planning and Funding /Child Health Portfolio Managers and NIR administrators.