Health Targets

Increased immunisation

What is the target?

85 percent of two year olds will be fully immunised by July 2010; 90 percent by July 2011; and 95 percent by July 2012.

Why is this target area important?

The national immunisation goal is 95% of children fully immunised at two years of age by ethnicity.

Immunisation can prevent a number of diseases and is a very cost-effective health intervention. Immunisation provides not only individual protection for some diseases but also population-wide protection by reducing the incidence of diseases and preventing them spreading to vulnerable people. Some of these population-wide benefits only arise with high immunisation rates, depending on the infectiousness of the disease and the effectiveness of the vaccine. New Zealand’s current immunisation rates are low by international standards and are not sufficient to prevent or reduce the impact of vaccine preventable diseases such as measles and Pertussis (Whooping Cough).

Increasing coverage for 2-year olds will require improvements in the whole immunisation system that should increase the other measures as well. Coverage for 2-year olds tells us whether children have received the full series of infant immunisations when they are most vulnerable and also tells us which children are not being reached by our immunisation system. It is a commonly-used measure internationally. It is still important that DHBs measure coverage at other milestone ages as this will provide more information about the immunisation system.

Who is the Ministry of Health champion of this target?

Dr Pat Tuohy, Chief Advisor, Child and Youth Health

Related information

Immunisation section

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Page last updated: 1 July 2009