Increasing childhood immunisations is a focus in the Bay of Plenty during Aotearoa Immunisation Week because it is behind the national goal.

Events including whanau fun days have been part of the week, running from May 27 to June 4, aimed at 'celebrating the importance of immunisations”.

Hauora a Toi Bay of Plenty senior responsible officer immunisation and Covid-19 Brent Gilbert-De Rios said the organisation was particularly focussed on increasing childhood immunisation rates.

'We are behind where we need to be in order to protect our tamariki from vaccine-preventable diseases.”

Te Whatu Ora - Health New Zealand's goal is to have 95 percent of eligible children fully immunised for their age.

Data provided by Hauora a Toi Bay of Plenty, formerly the Bay of Plenty District Health Board, showed 75 per cent of babies aged 8 months were fully immunised as of April 2023.

For two-year-olds in the Bay of Plenty 78 per cent were fully immunised and 76 per cent of five year olds had been fully immunised as well.

For Māori children the rates are much lower, 59 per cent of 8 months olds were fully immunised in the Bay of Plenty.

Sixty-five per cent of Māori two-year-olds were fully vaccinated and 66 per cent of five-year-olds had been fully immunised as of April 2023.

Te Manu Toroa whānau care group manager Debbi Muralt said Māori and Pasifika children were at 'high risk” so needed to be immunised.

'They're at high risk because they [Māori and Pasifika people] tend to live in in whares with lots of people, including bubbies to the elderly,” she said.

'You've got a wide range of people living in one house, trying to navigate the world at best of times without having to worry so much about getting sick.

'But unfortunately, if one goes down the whole lot can catch it. So [we're] trying to get these kids vaccinated before that happens.”

Families enjoying Te Manu Toroa's Whānau Day Out. Photo: Supplied.

The community healthcare provider hosted a Whānau Day Out on Saturday aimed at increasing immunisations and connecting with the community.

Muralt said the day was 'fantastic” they offered health checks, immunisations and promoted their Pēpi Ora Well Child, dental, mental health and addiction services.

The prizes, giveaways, live music and children's activities 'pulled the whānau in” and saw more than 500 people attend, she said.

'The day was actually set up to increase visibility of Te Manu Toroa within the community. But at the same time, trying to increase our immunisation rates.”

Childhood diseases that had previously been eradicated were 'now popping their ugly heads back up”, said Muralt.

'We are really trying to get the word out there and do some amazing drives to try and get whānau into the clinic so that we can start getting these little bubbies vaccinated again.

'It's a long, steady process, but we're not giving up.”

Asked what the reasons are that people are not getting immunised, Muralt said she didn't think it was a priority for people.

'With Covid, that word vaccination is almost in overdrive. Because everybody's tired of hearing about it, so they're almost fatigued by the word.”

The Te Manu Toroa team at the Whānau Day Out. Photo: Supplied.

Gilbert-De Rios said: 'Immunisation rates both in the Bay, around Aotearoa and across the world have been falling, due in part to the ongoing effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

'In response, we are strongly focussed on lifting rates both nationally and across the rohe.”

'Aotearoa Immunisation Week, a week-long, nationwide push that aims to drive vaccine uptake ahead of winter, is one of the ways we are working with our healthcare and hauora partners to do this,” he said.

'There are more than a dozen pop-up, walk-in and special immunisation events taking place across the rohe throughout the week thanks to the mahi of our partner vaccine and healthcare providers. And it's easy and free to visit your local pharmacy or doctor to catch up too.”

'We want more children, adults, whānau – and communities – to be protected from vaccine-preventable diseases.”

Bay of Plenty immunisation events can be found at: www.bopdhb.health.nz/immsweek

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