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Immunisation

The National Immunisation Programme recommends immunisation as the best protection against serious but preventable diseases – helping to protect our children, families and our community. The Programme provides free immunisation to people across their lifespan.

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What does HPA do?

We work with the Ministry of Health's immunisation team to provide communications and marketing support for its National Immunisation Programme.

Throughout the year and in response to disease outbreaks we promote immunisations for babies, children, adolescents and adults.

Learn more about our immunisation work

Why immunise

We recently developed a video series, called ‘Why Immunise?’ to support and promote the National Immunisation Schedule. The videos explain how immunisation helps protect against the spread of serious diseases that can be prevented. They show the impact of these diseases and how they can affect New Zealand families. The key messages are:

  • Protect your whānau. Immunise, it’s their best protection.
  • Immunisation is one of the best ways to protect your whānau against serious diseases.
  • Protect your child against serious diseases and give them the best start to a healthy future.
  • Every country in the world is using immunisation to save lives and prevent the spread of serious diseases.
  • For their best protection, immunise on time.
  • Immunisation helps to protect our tamariki, our whānau and our whole community.

The series includes eight videos:

  • three informational videos featuring Dr Kiriana Bird 
  • five 30-second video advertisements that can be used to promote immunisation and increase awareness.
View the videos

Maternal immunisation

Pregnancy and newborn babies

Immunisation is recommended and free for pregnant women as mothers pass some of their immunity along to their babies during pregnancy. This provides some protection to newborn babies during the first few weeks of life until they are able to be immunised.

We recently developed a new pamphlet that talks about the importance of immunisation during pregnancy. The pamphlet, for pregnant women and their families, explains the immunisations recommended to protect mum and baby against serious diseases such as whooping cough and influenza.

Order the Immunise during pregnancy resource

Download or order copies of the Childhood immunisation brochure

View more immunisation resources

Childhood immunisations

A key focus of this work is on getting immunisations completed on time and helping to achieve the Government's health target of 95% of eight-month-olds being fully immunised.

Infant immunisations are offered at six weeks, three months, five months and 15 months. They help protect babies against serious preventable diseases such as whooping cough, pneumococcal and rotavirus. Infant immunisations are critical as they provide protection for babies when they are at their most vulnerable.

Immunisation Week 

Immunisation Week is about raising awareness of the importance of immunisation to protect against serious illnesses. The theme of the 2018 Immunisation Week was promoting immunisation for older people (ie, influenza, shingles, tetanus and diphtheria) and encouraging immunisation across the lifespan.

It's an opportunity to celebrate the role of all health professionals working with older people, pregnant women, infants, young children, teenagers and parents to help keep our community well and healthy.

Resources available 

To support DHBs in their planning for Immunisation Week 2018, HPA developed a new Digital Communications Toolkit to help them enhance their regional promotions and encourage greater awareness and immunisation uptake in their regions.

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The toolkit includes tips and advice on promoting immunisation locally, and includes links to immunisation resources and a range of digital assets that DHBs can use on their online channels.

Messages include the importance of ensuring that you and your whānau are up-to-date with your immunisations to help protect against several serious diseases. It also focuses on the importance of immunisation during pregnancy to protect mum and baby against influenza and whopping cough.

Click on the heading below for 2018's key messages. You can also download a template media release to use in your region.

HPA can provide artwork files for some resources. The printing and production needs to be arranged locally. Artwork is subject to a conditions of use agreement and needs to comply with the National Immunisation Programme Brand Guidelines.

Contact Robyn to request artwork or if you have any brand queries. 

More useful information

B4 school checks

We have developed a range of resources to support the B4 School Checks programme. The B4 School Check is a nationwide programme offering a free health and development check for 4-year-olds.

The B4 School Check identifies and addresses any health, behavioural, social or developmental concerns that could affect a child’s ability to get the most benefit from school. It’s also a great opportunity for children to catch-up on any infant immunisations they may have missed.

Download or order copies of the ‘Is your child starting school?’ poster

School-based immunisation programme

Protect your child against serious diseases and most cancers caused by HPV

The school-based immunisation programme provides free ‘Boostrix’ and ‘HPV’ immunisations for children in Year 7 and Year 8 to protect them against several serious diseases such as tetanus, diphtheria, whooping cough and most cancers caused by HPV. The programme is available through schools or general practices. It is a convenient way for most families to ensure that their children are protected against serious diseases. To support the school programme, a campaign will be live from 16 February 2019.

The campaign encourages parents to sign and return the consent form to allow their child to get immunised at school. Find out more about the campaign here and download the communications pack for you to promote the campaign in your community.

  • Boostrix Immunisation (or TDap) is typically offered to students in Year 7 and protects against tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough. It increases the protection children received through their earlier childhood immunisations by boosting their immunity to these diseases. Boostrix is delivered as a single injection.
  • Human Papillomavirus Immunisation (or HPV) is typically offered to students in Year 8 and protects against most cancers caused by HPV including cervical cancer and head, neck and throat cancers, which can affect men and women. It takes two doses to be protected against HPV. Those beginning vaccination at age 15 years or older need three doses.

Download or order copies of Boostrix and HPV resources such as consent forms and information pamphlets. 

HPV immunisation campaign

The HPV campaign aims to reach parents and caregivers of children aged 11 and 12-years-old to increase awareness and highlight the risk of HPV infection, which is serious and can lead to cancer in later life. The campaign encourages parents to immunise their child against HPV at school  as part of the free national school immunisation programme.

Download the HPV School-based Immunisation Programme communications pack

Download the HPV School-based Immunisation Programme communications pack for Kura Kaupapa and Māori immersion schools

Learn more about the campaign

 

Teenagers and young adults

It’s important that young people stay up to date with their immunisations. In recent years, New Zealand has had serious outbreaks of preventable diseases such as the 2013 measles outbreak and the 2017 mumps outbreak which effected more than 1200 people.

In response to the outbreaks, HPA has developed a number of online and print resources for use in promoting catch-up immunisations for teens and young adults.

Download or order copies of the 'Has your teen missed any immunisations?' poster

View more immunisation resources

Older people

The National Immunisation Schedule has changed for older people. Immunisation against shingles will be free at age 65 from 1 April 2018, and for the next two years for people aged 66 to 80-years-old.

A new resource, Immunisation for Older People, is available to order from HealthEd. This resource includes information on the recommended immunisations for adults aged 65+ to protect against several serious diseases.

 

In your community

We have resources that you can share with your community including your family, workplace, sports club, community group, or school.

View our immunisation resources

Research and evaluation

We develop research and provide useful evidence to support the sector as part of immunisation work. This includes gathering data on New Zealanders’ thoughts about immunisation through the Health and Lifestyles Survey, and informing and evaluating activities, programmes and initiatives.

View our immunisation research publications

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