New parent pertussis program
Parents are recommended to take up the offer of free Whooping Cough vaccine called Boostrix.
Whooping Cough also known as Pertussis is a highly infectious disease causing a severe, persistent cough often followed by breathing problems.
Whooping Cough can be deadly, especially for babies under 6 months old. The main way babies catch whooping cough is from infected parents and family members. The number of babies under 6 months old catching whooping cough has risen dramatically in Victoria over the last 5 years alarming the State Health Department.
Sadly, 1 in 200 babies that contract Whooping Cough aged 6 months or younger will die as a result of the disease.
Whooping Cough vaccine is free for all new parents with babies born from 15th June 2009. The Whooping Cough program is funded until 30th June 2012 with the vaccine available at all Maroondah’s Immunisation Sessions.
If you are not eligible to receive the free vaccine, it is available for $40 a dose at all immunisation sessions, payments can be made at any of Council’s Service Centers or EFT facilities are available at all sessions.
School immunisations
If your child is in Year 7 or 10 and has not returned an immunisation consent card to school, please do so before the end of Term 3. Regardless of whether your child is receiving the required vaccines or not, the Immunisation Team collects all consent cards to provide valuable statistics to Department of Health. Your assistance in returning these cards is much appreciated.
If you would like your child to be immunised with the scheduled vaccines please call the Immunisation Team on 9294 5627.
4 year old immunisations
If your 4 year old has received all immunisations to date, you should receive a statement from the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register (ACIR), this statement will note at the bottom that your child has received all immunisations up until 4 years of age. You are required to provide this statement to the school you wish to enroll your child into when requested.
If you have had Immunisations overseas and they have not been added to ACIR or you conscientiously object to immunisations you will be required to contact Maroondah’s Immunisation team to provide you with an Immunisation Status letter.
