Urgent warning after vaccination rates plunge in Queensland
Doctors have issued an urgent warning after new figures showed less and less Brisbane parents are having their children vaccinated.
It’s a jab that saves millions of lives but a growing amount of Queensland parents are now deciding not immunise their children, new federal health figures show.
The average immunisation rate in the state is 93.7 per cent for one-year-olds and 93.8 per cent for five-year-olds, however a vaccination rate of 95 per cent is needed to protect the entire population.
“People have forgotten but these preventable diseases that we vaccinate for are actually quite deadly and some of them will kill one child in ten," Australian Medical Association Dr Richard Kidd told 7 News.
"In suburbs where you first of all think vaccination rates would be really high they're worryingly low."
The Maroochy are covering Coolum Beach to Mooloolaba has the lowest vaccination rate in the state followed by Port Douglas.
But inner Brisbane, including West End, South Brisbane, Highgate Hill and New Farm is close behind, with a vaccination rate close to that of Nimbin.
Doctors say the anti vaccination movement has gained even more momentum recently with a sharp drop off in vaccinations in Brisbane's inner north in just the last three months.
"They are probably using doctor Google and being influenced by anti vaccination propaganda,” Dr Kidd added.
