On Tuesday, May 21st, the State Government of Western Australia launched a new strategy aimed at improving immunisation rates among Western Australian children, to prevent outbreaks of diseases such as measles, rubella and meningitis.
Health Minister Kim Hames said WA had slightly lower immunisation rates than other jurisdictions and that the WA Immunisation Strategy 2013-2015 would focus on key groups, including four-year-olds entering the education system and high school students, as well as increasing immunisation rates among Aboriginal children. Download the Immunisation Strategy 2013 here
In order to learn more, and feature the interview on the student station that I contribute to as a part of my radio studies, I interviewed Associate Professor Peter Richmond.
Associate Professor Peter Richmond is the Head of Division of the Vaccine Trials Group; Associate Professor, School of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Western Australia and a Consultant Paediatrician and Paediatric Immunologist, Princess Margaret Hospital for Children.
- You can also see him present as a part of the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research’s Child Health Seminar – Infectious Disease and Vaccination – The Experts The Facts, held on May 14th in Perth.
- Discussed in the interview – The Telethon Institute’s Vaccine Trials Group is looking for people aged between 10 and 25 to participate in a trial of a meningococcal B disease (MBD) vaccination. Contact menb@ichr.uwa.edu.au.
Tremendous thanks to Rachel Mulholland for helping with the interview, and to Boom Radio for allowing me studio time.
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