Jabs monitor boosts baby health

By REBECCA WALSH health reporter

A tracking system to record the health and immunisation records of babies in parts of South Auckland has achieved a 90 per cent success rate.

But many infants are getting their jabs months later than they should.

Health workers and ministry officials say the early data from the Kidslink programme is encouraging.

A similar system will be used to set up a national immunisation register over the next two years.

Since January last year, all babies born in Otara, Papakura and Franklin have been registered with Kidslink.

The programme enables health workers to follow a baby's progress from birth and monitor potential problem areas such as whooping cough and measles.

It is being extended throughout the Counties-Manukau area, where about 7200 babies are born each year. By December, nearly 10,000 children will be registered.

Nettie Knetsch, general manager of KidzFirst and women's health at Middlemore Hospital, said parts of Counties-Manukau were previously thought to have had immunisation rates as low as 60-70 per cent but it was not known who was missing out.

"The real value of Kidslink is we can find out who has been done, who is overdue and who needs to be followed up," she said. "It takes the guesswork out of it."

The results show 90 per cent of the first group of babies on the electronic register were fully vaccinated.

Similar results were recorded for Well Child checks, which look at weight, vision, hearing and other aspects of infant health.

But Ms Knetsch said the results showed parents were often waiting until well after the immunisation dates to have their children vaccinated.

The three-month vaccinations rate did not pass 90 per cent until the children were between 10 months and 13 months.

Dr Nikki Turner, director of the Immunisation Advisory Centre at Auckland University, said international data indicated that delaying vaccination made it less likely the course would be completed and more likely the child would get a disease.

New Zealand hospital admission rates for whooping cough were five to 10 times higher than in Britain or the United States.

She attributed the delay to reluctance on the part of parents to immunise small babies.

"It's a general reaction we all have as a parent - 'my baby is so little and healthy, how could I put a needle in it?"'

Another factor was misinformation about babies' ability to cope with the vaccine.

But she said the results were a great start and a 90 per cent hit rate meant "more control over the bugs in the community" and greater protection for children.

Dr Clair Mills, manager of the national immunisation programme for the Ministry of Health, said the information would help the ministry decide where it needed to put more effort to improve outcomes.

For Papakura woman Andriette Moore, whose son, Dylan, was one of the first to be registered on Kidslink 15 months ago, the system has provided a backstop - something she believes would be even more important for parents with more than one child.

"A couple of times the doctor has rung me up and we have organised an appointment," she said.

"I would recommend it. It's good for the kids and it's good for the nation."

How it works

Kidslink is a register of children's health and immunisation records.

It is designed to boost immunisation rates and keep track of children's health.

Doctors say immunising children reduces their chances of getting diseases such as whooping cough and measles.