Health and Immunisation Management Services

26/07/2025

No. There is no established link between and autism. The measles mumps rubella ( ) vaccine doesn’t cause autism.

High-quality studies and reviews over many years have compared the health of large numbers of vaccinated and unvaccinated children and found no link between the MMR vaccine and autism. Scientific studies and reviews continue to show no relationship between vaccines and autism.

People first became concerned about autism and immunisation after a research paper published in a respected medical journal published in 1998 suggested a link between the MMR vaccine and autism.

Since then, scientists have completely discredited this paper based on only 12 children.

In 2004, the authors retracted their claim of a link between vaccination and autism. In 2010, the journal withdrew the paper after the UK’s General Medical Council found the results in the paper had proved to be false. The journal printed an apology.

26/07/2025

Please read - an open letter from a recently bereaved Australian family, who have given us permission to share their tragic story 💔

"Aabi will forever be two years and nine months old. She was a healthy, happy, active, and fun-loving child – the radiant joy of our lives and the very heart of our home. Her older sister's playful "pet peeve," Aabi had just begun talking endlessly, delighting in dancing, and singing along to music with her sister.

On Tuesday, April 30th 2025, we returned to Perth after a month-long holiday visiting family in India. Not quite ready to leave the special attention she'd received, Aabi was reluctant to go back to daycare, repeatedly saying, "Mumma, no school, Aabi go home." With unpacking and errands ahead, I restarted her daycare attendance the very next day, Wednesday and Thursday, while her sister returned to school. By Friday, May 2nd, Aabi was back home with me, seemingly fine, enjoying an extended bath time, singing songs, and her usual playful activities.

Saturday, May 3rd, began normally. After her routine banana and milk, Aabi vomited about an hour later. I initially thought it was due to her energetic play with her sister. As I cleaned her, I noticed she felt lukewarm. I settled her, gave her a dose of paracetamol syrup, and she mentioned a slight headache. A gentle forehead massage seemed to help, and her fever subsided. By evening, she was playing again, eating some rice and strawberries. Later that night, a mild fever returned, accompanied by another headache complaint. Another dose of paracetamol, more massaging, and she drifted to sleep. Her fever rose significantly in the night but settled an hour after the medicine.

Sunday, May 4th, she woke as usual, enjoying two biscuits with my tea, her milk, and then a banana. She was playing, singing, and seemed well. Relieved, I started my regular Sunday household tasks while the girls entertained themselves. Around 11 AM, she started warming up again, complaining of a headache. I gave her medicine and settled her down, massaging her head as she became drowsy, trying to sleep. I sat beside her, waiting for the fever to drop, but it kept climbing. After an hour, I gave her another high-fever medication, but it didn't help. I began tepid sponging. This time, I used a thermometer; it read 40.6°C. Panicked, I immediately called a friend, and we rushed her to the emergency department. My husband, at work, said he would join us as soon as he found a replacement.

Upon reaching the hospital, Aabi vomited, remaining drowsy. She was attended to immediately, but due to severe dehydration from the high fever, establishing an IV line was incredibly difficult, taking over 30 minutes and more than four attempts across various sites. It felt like she deteriorated significantly and too quickly. By the time emergency medications, for suspected flu, sepsis, or meningitis, could be administered, she had a gentle seizure – likely febrile, but enough to warrant an anti-seizure medication to calm her. They continued their efforts, drawing blood, observing, and considering scans to pinpoint the problem.

Her blood results came back positive for Influenza. Fluids and antivirals were already being pushed. The decision was made to perform a CT scan and then transfer her to the ICU, as she was highly febrile and partially unconscious.

I believe we lost her at that point. As soon as she reached the ICU, she had to be intubated. The CT scan wasn't fully indicative of the problem's severity; an MRI would be necessary. But from that moment, her pupils were non-responsive, and she was beyond anyone's help.

The MRI confirmed total brain death due to acute necrotising encephalitis, a devastating complication of the influenza infection. The virus's rapid progression, with such minimal initial symptoms – just a normal fever and headache, which so many children her age experience regularly – gave us no indication of the extreme seriousness of the situation.

We lost our beautiful Aabi at the hands of what seemed like a "mere virus."

Even if she had been vaccinated at the beginning of May, the typical time for flu vaccinations in WA, it would have taken around 10 days for the vaccine to become effective. I replay the events endlessly, debating what could have been done better, what could have been done differently to have her with us today. Multiple meetings with the emergency and ICU teams confirmed they would have managed this in the same way every time. If I had brought her in a day earlier, a mild fever, a mild headache, and a single vomit would not have been indicative of anything serious enough for action beyond a prescription for Panadol.

She did not give us the time to react, to fight, to do anything for her.

If only someone had advised me of the genetic predispositions that might have been the cause. Doctors suspect her immune system responded much more aggressively than usual to this infection, leading to acute inflammation and severe damage to her brain. I wish we had known this was something we should be alert to for our babies.

Aabi was a blessing we had for too short a time. Our lives remain incomplete, and we wish no parent ever has to endure this ordeal.

Wishing safe and lovely moments to all babies.

Grieved and broken, Aabi's family"

22/07/2025

protects against serious diseases that could lead to including and even . By your child, you help protect other members of your family who are vulnerable and may get very unwell if they get sick with the disease, such as women, older people and people with health conditions.

When many people in the community are vaccinated, it is much harder for a disease to spread as people are much less likely to meet an infected person and catch the disease. This is called herd immunity.

The benefit of is that we can protect those who cannot get vaccinated, including babies who are too young to get or people who can’t get vaccinated for medical reasons.

22/07/2025

The protection levels provided by vaccines differ so there will be a small number of people who do not develop immunity and may still get the disease. If they have been vaccinated, they usually experience less severe disease than if not vaccinated.

17/07/2025

Reported flu cases across South Australia have spiked 70 per cent this year, with more than 1,000 cases in the last week alone. It has coincided with another rise in ambulance ramping, which soared in June to its second-highest level on record.

17/07/2025

Experts are warning young adults and parents of young children to be aware of early symptoms of meningococcal disease, as Australia enters its peak season. The bacterial infection can strike without warning and progress rapidly, in many cases causing death or leading to life-changing complications.

17/07/2025

Like the flu, meningococcal disease is seasonal, with cases typically peaking in winter and early spring.

Already this year, 56 cases of meningococcal infection have been reported across .

That includes 18 in NSW, 14 in Queensland, 10 in , seven in , five in South Australia, and two in .

All children aged 12 months receive the for the A, W, Y and C strains of , under the National Immunisation Program (NIP).

While only Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children under two years old and people at increased risk due to specific medical conditions are eligible for a free B under the NIP. , , and the have state-funded vaccination programs to protect more children and teenagers against the B strain.

17/07/2025

17/07/2025

As Australia enters its peak season, experts are warning young adults and parents of young children to be aware of the early symptoms of meningococcal disease as cases rise.

The bacterial infection can strike without warning and accelerate rapidly, often causing death or leading to life-changing complications.

"It often starts with a flu-like illness. A bit of a cold, a bit of a runny nose, a bit of a cough. But then it progresses with fevers and people become very, very sick after that," said general practitioner Dr Sam Hay.

"Unfortunately, if you see a rash, it's going to be too late," he warned.

Read more: https://ow.ly/nwZO50Wqjew

14/07/2025

14/07/2025

An opinion piece Catherine Hughes AM, Immunisation Foundation of Australia’s founding director, wrote for NewsCorp published this morning.

“Ten years ago, our baby boy died from whooping cough.

Riley was just 32 days old, too young to be vaccinated, and the pregnancy vaccine wasn’t yet available for free across Australia.

From the depths of grief, my husband and I shared Riley’s story.

We didn’t set out to establish an advocacy movement, we just didn’t want other families to go through what we did.

Something amazing happened: people listened.
Riley’s story reached millions.

Within months, the whooping cough vaccine was funded for women, ultimately saving babies’ lives.

Expecting parents embraced whooping cough protection and Australia recorded some of the highest maternal immunisation rates in the world.

This happened because people talked: parent to parent, midwife to patient, friend to friend.
But things have changed.

Since the -19 pandemic, we’ve seen a sn*******ng of misinformation.

Anti-vaccine activists, once seen as fringe-dwelling conspiracy theorists, are now loud, proud and dangerously persuasive.

Their messages stem from well-orchestrated and well-funded fear franchises.

In the US, anti-vaccination groups have massive budgets, making it difficult for the pro-immunisation groups tasked with challenging their falsehoods.

These anti-vax groups spread dangerous content, unchecked and often unchallenged, through social media, podcasts, and increasingly through political networks.

While they try to position themselves as defenders of freedom and choice, they profit from fear, gaining audiences to sell products or generate advertising revenue.

Sadly, because social media algorithms amplify the loudest voices rather than the most credible, harmful narratives spread and ultimately trickle down to vulnerable families.

In , it’s having an impact.

rates are falling and diseases we once had under control are surging back, resulting in families facing unfathomable heartbreak.

I speak regularly with parents from around the world who grieve the loss of a child.

Whether it’s from , or disease, these deaths should never have occurred.

have taken us so far.

Before routine immunisation, one in 10 Australian children didn’t make it to their first birthday, many from diseases that are now prevented through .

We know one thing hasn’t changed: parents still want the best for their children.

People don’t reject vaccines out of neglect; they do so because they somehow believe it’s the safest choice.

They need honest, trusted information and the chance to ask questions and be heard, without pressure or judgement.

The Federal Government’s recently launched national immunisation strategy must prioritise community education which counters misinformation with evidence and empathy.

In the meantime, I implore parents to speak to their doctor or immunisation provider about vaccinations.

Don’t be afraid to challenge them with what you’ve heard or read – you have every right to be heard and informed.

As for me, I’ll keep doing what I know best: talking to parents and parents-to-be.

These conversations may be quiet but they’re very powerful.

We won’t stop talking until we turn things around for the better, and for good.

For Riley, and for all families impacted by vaccine-preventable diseases.”

14/07/2025

Two mothers share their heartbreaking stories of the devastating aftermath of a simple dose of measles.