Immunisation Foundation of Australia

With the resurgence of whooping cough in Australia, coordinated national action is needed to lift the uptake of vaccinations in pregnancy and keep babies safe. Nine practical recommendations to drive consistent improvement in pregnancy vaccination rates nationwide are outlined in the new Maternal Immunisation in Australia whitepaper, released today to mark #WhoopingCoughDay Developed by Biointelect in collaboration with the Immunisation Foundation of Australia and supported by Pfizer Australia, the whitepaper includes a call for the establishment of national maternal immunisation targets to lift uptake, improve equity and drive accountability. Access a copy of the whitepaper here: https://lnkd.in/gvakM8Wj

It’s #WhoopingCoughDay and we have released a 2025 #WhoopingCough Report Card on case numbers, trends, vaccine uptake and expert opinions. Key findings include: 🟠 More than 22,000 cases of whooping cough have been recorded in Australia so far this year. 🟠 40% of these cases are in school children aged 5-14 years. 🟠 NSW had the bulk of infections this year, with almost 40% of all cases 🟠 There has been a concerning drop in vaccination rates of babies, with whooping cough coverage in one-year-olds dropping by 1.18% in the past year alone. Download the report to find out more: https://lnkd.in/gHkPXUYF

Thank you Brenton Hart and the fantastic team at TerryWhite Chemmart - we are so delighted to have your support for tomorrow's #whoopingcoughday.

Wonderful to have our work acknowledged with a "Highly Commended" award in the 'NGO of the Year' category at the PRIME Awards last night. We are a small organisation with a big goal: We want to protect all babies, families and communities from vaccine-preventable diseases. We do this through combining storytelling and science, amplifying the voices of community members who have been impacted by vaccine-preventable diseases. This past year has been monumental. Our Unite Against RSV campaign was instrumental in securing national RSV immunisation programs for all infants. And through initiatives like tomorrow's #WhoopingCoughDay, we continue to honour our origins and drive important awareness to protect our most vulnerable. But we absolutely do not do this alone! A big thanks to our small team, our board, our PR agency Ethical Strategies, our funders, our research collaborators, our volunteers, and most importantly our families impacted by vaccine-preventable diseases, who inspire our continued commitment to immunisation advocacy at all levels. To anyone who supports us on our mission, we are so grateful!

As 𝗪𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗗𝗮𝘆 on Saturday, 8 November approaches, now is the time to prepare and join the conversation. If you haven’t already done so, please download our Whooping Cough Day 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀, including key messages, social tiles, posters and educational flyer, available here: https://lnkd.in/gqRAvPWg. A brand new 2025 𝗪𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗱 providing the latest insights, alongside expert commentary is also available here: https://lnkd.in/gr44BzEY This year, our Whooping Cough Day messages are clear: ✅ Protect babies through maternal immunisation and timely infant vaccination. ✅Keep children and teens safe with routine boosters at four years of age and again in the first year of high school. ✅Ensure adults remain protected with a booster at least every 10 years. Every mention of whooping cough keeps prevention top of mind and honours the families, like ours, who have been impacted by this highly infectious disease. We’ll also be sharing whooping cough stories and campaign assets across Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn. We’d love to see your involvement, so please use the hashtag #WhoopingCoughDay in your posts and tag us where possible. Feel free to reach out – we’d love to hear your plans.

This weekend, the Immunisation Foundation of Australia team is thrilled to be at the Canberra PBC BABY Expo! We'll be on-site providing #RSV, #whoopingcough, and #flu immunisations for expectant parents. This initiative is a perfect example of our strategic priorities in action: 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀: We're there to empower communities with knowledge. It's our chance to share clear resources, respond to questions, and amplify the powerful personal stories that drive home the importance of immunisation. 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: We are championing equitable access by bringing immunisations to a convenient and trusted location. This helps reduce barriers and makes it easier for busy parents to get protected. 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲: This is where we build trust. We'll be engaging in open dialogue, listening to community concerns, and addressing questions with empathy and evidence, fostering confidence in immunisation. If you're in Canberra, please stop by and say hello! #Immunisation #PublicHealth #Canberra #PBCExpo #Awareness #Access #Acceptance #VaccinesWork #ProtectOurBabies #RSV #WhoopingCough #Flu

It's encouraging to see our advocacy has led to thousands of babies being protected from severe RSV this year. But hearing stories like Baby Blake’s reminds us that the system still has critical gaps in both access and acceptance. The Immunisation Foundation of Australia is committed to closing those gaps and ensuring a truly equitable program for all at-risk Australians. Our work continues. 

A devastated mother is calling for the #meningococcalB #vaccine to be made available to all children and teenagers, after her 16-year-old son died suddenly last week. #Melbourne mum Norliah Syer-Peterson said her son Levi fell ill with what appeared to be gastro-like symptoms on Tuesday, September 23, before his condition deteriorated rapidly. Levi, who was a Year 10 student at St Francis Xavier College in Beaconsfield, appeared perfectly happy and healthy in the morning. The paramedics rushed him to the intensive care unit at Monash Children's Hospital. Levi developed purple spots all over his skin, and then his heart stopped. The much-loved teen died at around 7.30am last Wednesday, less than 24 hours after he first fell ill. Syer-Peterson said her son's sudden death had left the family reeling. Tests have confirmed Levi died of sepsis caused by meningococcal B bacteria. Like most Year 10 students in Victoria, Levi received a free #meningococcal vaccine at school, which covers strains A, C, W and Y. However, meningococcal B requires a separate vaccine, which is only included in the National Immunisation Program for at-risk groups, such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander infants. After lobbying by medical experts and advocates, some #Australian states - #Queensland, #SouthAustralia and the #NorthernTerritory - have chosen to fund their own meningococcal B vaccination programs to make the vaccines free for all children and teens. However, #Victoria, #WA, #NSW, the #ACT and #Tasmania are yet to do so. Syer-Peterson said she was now making it her mission to lobby for meningococcal B vaccines to be made available free of charge.

📢 Help Us Improve Maternal Vaccination! The Immunisation Foundation of Australia is teaming up with Monash University to create a Consumer Advisory Panel. We want to hear from you if you are currently pregnant, have been pregnant, or are a community leader who supports pregnant people. This is a unique opportunity to use your voice to help improve the health of mothers and newborns. We'll be working with you on three key research projects to increase maternal vaccination rates, including: ✔️ Understanding why some communities have lower vaccination rates during pregnancy. ✔️Helping to design better vaccination schedules for mothers. ✔️Reviewing how the new RSV prevention program is working to help guide future policies. Your lived experience is essential for this work. To find out more and express your interest, scan the QR code in the image or follow this link ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/gbuAeYwp