Year 7 students will be vaccinated against whooping cough this year in an effort to tackle rising cases ofthe disease.
The move to bring forward thevaccinations, previously given in year 10, followsa 58 per cent jump in the number of whooping cough cases in Victoria over the past 12 months, from 2926 in 2013 to 4615 in 2014.
Victoria’s Chief Health Officer, Dr Rosemary Lester, said most whooping cough cases occurred in older children and adults, because “their immunity from childhood vaccinations fades over time”.
Year 7 and year 10 students will receive the whooping cough vaccine until this year’s year 7 students reach year 10. The change is in line with national recommendations, and the vaccine will also protect against tetanus and diphtheria.
Whooping cough is a highly contagious respiratory infection that begins like a cold before a characteristic cough develops. It is particularly serious for babies, who can develop complications including bleeding, convulsions, apnoea and pneumonia.
The state government is reintroducing free whooping cough vaccines for expectant parents and parents of newborns after the former government scrapped it in 2012.
A Health Department spokesman said the free vaccines would be available within months, following a tender process to source the vaccine. The aim is to provide a cocoon of protection around young babies.
The spokesman said legislation to enforce the government’s “no jab, no play” policy, which requires parents to fully vaccinate children before enrolling them in childcare, would go before Parliament this year.
The law was expected to be in place for the start of the 2016 school year, he said.
