New Zealand's Immunisation History: from past to present

The history of immunisation (a) dates back hundreds of years.  Vaccines were created to immunise individuals in order to prevent outbreaks of infectious disease within populations.  Immunisations, through the use of antigens being injected into the body, provoke an immune system (b) response which enables the body’s natural production of antibodies to overcome the infection.

New Zealand’s introduction to immunisation occurred in 1926, when the Ministry of Health (MOH), formally the Department of Health, began administering Diphtheria vaccines to children at “selected schools and orphanages” (refer to the PDF: MOH Immunisation Handbook 2011, p. 371).  Immunisations during the 1940s were administered through the Schools Medical Service and the Plunket Service (MOH, 2011).  In 1961, a national immunisation policy was formed and a scheme put in place which provided three free vaccinations for children (MOH, 2011).  The National Immunisation Scheme (NIS) has since developed into the extensive programme available today (c), providing children with vaccines for eleven infectious diseases (c).

Technological advancements in medicine have enabled vaccine manufacturers the ability to combine vaccines into one dose, thus reducing the number of injections being administered to children, in particular infants, at any one time.  Pharmaceutical companies, such as GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), manufacture and refine vaccines for purchase.  PHARMAC is the pharmaceutical management agency of the Crown.  In 2012, the MOH handed control of New Zealand’s Immunisation purchasing and management to PHARMAC, although the MOH remain responsible for the NIS.

The National Immunisation Register (NIR, b) was initiated in 2004, by the MOH, as a method of accurately recording each child’s immunisation history, and therefore monitoring each child’s immunisation delivery.  Children’s immunisation details are recorded for the NIR and details written in the back of their Well Child Health Book.  Well Child Health books are issued for each child at birth as a general health guide for parents, and a place to record their children’s health and development information.

The MOH, using the data the NIR has recorded, provides organisations such as the World Health Organisation (WHO) with New Zealand’s statistics annually.  The WHO, “the directing and co-ordinating authority for health within the United Nations system” (WHO, 2013, para. 1), creates and manages plans in order to achieve immunisation objectives on a global scale.  The WHO (as cited in MOH, 2011) states that “vaccines – which protect against disease by inducing immunity – are widely and routinely administered around the world based on the common-sense principle that it is better to keep people from falling ill than to treat them once they are ill.” (p. iii).

Partnered with the WHO are the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation who have a vision to “eliminate vaccine-preventable diseases worldwide.”  I found this information very interesting as it is a good example of how a corporate giant can use their influence to promote personal agendas.

New Zealand, being a member of the United Nations, has an obligation to ensure immunisation targets are reached.  This ‘obligation’ is a good example of political globalisation.  I was unaware that New Zealand’s immunisation schedule was influenced by worldwide organisations that monitor to ensure accountability for immunisation delivery.  It seems to me that generally the worldwide view reflects immunisation as being positive and necessary.  However, while New Zealand’s immunisation rates are monitored with the worldwide delivery targets set, the choice whether to immunise or not remains with its citizens.  Therefore, it seems to me, in order to ensure an increase of immunisation percentages, the New Zealand Government must actively promote immunisation to ensure all its citizens are informed, and therefore choose to ‘be wise’ (a) and immunise.

References

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. (2013). Vaccine delivery. Retrieved from http://www.gatesfoundation.org/What-We-Do/Global-Development/Vaccine-Delivery

GlaxoSmithKline. (2008). Our company. Retrieved from http://www.gsk.co.nz/company.html

GlaxoSmithKline. (2012). Immunisation calendar. Retrieved from http://www.whoopingcough.co.nz/immunisation-calendar.html

Immunisation Advisory Centre. (2013a). A brief history of vaccination. Retrieved from http://www.immune.org.nz/brief-history-vaccination

Immunisation Advisory Centre. (2013b). The immune system and vaccination. Retrieved from http://www.immune.org.nz/immune-system-and-vaccination

Immunisation Advisory Centre. (2013c). Vaccine preventable diseases. Retrieved from http://www.immune.org.nz/vaccine-preventable-diseases

Ministry of Health. (2011). Immunisation handbook 2011. Retrieved from: http://www.health.govt.nz/publication/immunisation-handbook-2011

Ministry of Health. (2013a). Immunisation week 2012 – Protect your child, protect our community. Retrieved from http://www.health.govt.nz/news-media/news-items/immunisation-week-2012-protect-your-child-protect-our-community

Ministry of Health. (2013b). National immunisation register. Retrieved from http://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/preventative-health-wellness/immunisation/national-immunisation-register

Ministry of Health. (2013c). New Zealand immunisation schedule.  Retrieved from http://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/preventative-health-wellness/immunisation/new-zealand-immunisation-schedule

Ministry of Health. (2013d). Vaccine purchasing.  Retrieved from http://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/preventative-health-wellness/immunisation/immunisation-programme-decisions/vaccine-purchasing
National Network for Immunization Information. (2006, May, 1). Combination vaccines. Author. Retrieved from http://www.immunizationinfo.org/issues/general/combination-vaccines
PHARMAC. (2013). Our history. Retrieved from http://www.pharmac.health.nz/about/our-history

Well Child. (2011). The well child / Tamariki ora health book. Retrieved from http://www.wellchild.org.nz/85/%3Cstrong%3Ewell%3C/strong%3E%3Cem%3Echild/tamariki_ora%3C/em%3E_health_book

World Health Organization. (2013). Immunization, vaccines and biologicals. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/immunization/documents/general/ISBN_978_92_4_150498_0/en/index.html

United Nations. (2013). Member states of the United Nations. Retrieved from http://www.un.org/en/members/#n

 

Introduction

The social topic I have chosen to investigate is child immunisation in New Zealand.

I decided on this topic to both increase my knowledge and to gain a deeper understanding of the issues that surround child immunisation.  As a teacher, working alongside young children, their parents and whānau, I feel that I should be aware of these issues in order to have an informed understanding of decisions made by parents and whānau around child immunisation.

Researching this issue interests me with the prospect of finding and presenting informative facts that surround this topic, in particular the factors that determine decisions made for/or against immunisation.

Helen Richardson