Changes to the National Immunisation Schedule
Changes to the National Immunisation Schedule (the Schedule) took effect from 1 February. The National Immunisation Programme aims to reduce vaccine-preventable diseases and immunisation is believed to be one of the most cost effective means of preventing disease and improving the health of NZers.
To assist immunisation coverage and disease prevention, the Schedule is reviewed, but not necessarily changed, every two years to enable people to receive safe and more effective vaccines as they become available. The Schedule was last updated in 2002. The main changes this year are:
- Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine, will replace the diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis and Hib (DTaP/Hib) vaccine, currently offered to children at 15 months of age with the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine; and
- a dose of whooping cough, or pertussis vaccine, at 11 years of age has also been added to the Schedule as part of the combined adult diphtheria, tetanus, acellular pertussis and inactivated polio (dTap-IPV) vaccine.
Further information about immunisation, the immunisation schedule, and the immunisation handbook are available through the Ministry of Health website at www.moh.govt.nz/immunisation |
Contact for Enquiries
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
Pastoral House
25 The Terrace
PO Box 2526, Wellington
Tel: 0800 00 83 33
Fax: +64 4 894 0720
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