Western Sydney has continually had a very low rate of immunisation in children under five years old[1] and we need to continue to educate parents and carers about the importance of maintaining up-to-date, routine vaccinations whilst providing reassurance that health care services are safe, even during COVID-19.
Our annual Immunisation Bike Competition is underway and we are excited to extend the competition period this year to end on 31 March 2021. We already have over 100 practices participating this year and encourage you to register your practice to be part of this nationally acclaimed initiative if you haven’t already.
Terms
Every child who receives their 12-month, 18-month or 4-year-old immunisation during the competition period of Thursday 1 October 2020 to Wednesday 31 March 2021will be eligible to go into the draw to win a bike and helmet. Since it was introduced in 2011, this initiative has seen more than 10,061 children immunised during the annual campaign periods.
Registration
Practices can still register their interest by completing the expression of interest form online. Practices will be supported by our Practice Development Team and receive a range of marketing materials to promote the campaign.
Learning Resources
NSW Health has released this month’s GP Talking Points with a focus on immunisation. The release provides information on the 2021 influenza season, childhood immunisation rates during COVID-19 and expiry dates on vaccines. Please read the GP Talking Points for more information, including a letter from the Acting Chief Medical Officer, Professor Paul Kelly, regarding the 2021 influenza season.
We will also be holding a few immunisation events over the coming weeks, with guest speaker Katrina Otto Managing Director from Train IT Medical Pty Ltd to talk about the importance of reporting to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR).
For more information on the upcoming events and our competition, please call our Helpdesk on 8811 7117 or contact your Practice Development Officer.
[1] https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/immunisation/Pages/coverage-by-lga.aspx#wslhd