Qld backs federal child vaccination push

The Queensland government says it fully supports the federal government's move to ban children who haven't been vaccinated from childcare.

The Queensland government says childcare centres in the state can already ban children who haven't been vaccinated, as the federal government proposes a similar measure.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has written to state and territory leaders asking them to support a national policy and more consistent laws to exclude children who haven't had their shots from childcare centres.

Queensland Health Minister Cameron Dick said "No Jab, No Play" rules took effect in Queensland at the start of 2016, and they'd be happy for the federal government to adopt similar measures nationally.

"If anything we would like to see our laws become standard across the nation, so from that perspective we are willing to work with the federal government to ensure our laws, which have started to operate in Queensland to become standard across the country," Mr Dick said.

"But if there are other proposals, we'd be happy to look at that. Immunisation saves lives, there's no question about that"

The immunisation rates for one-year-olds in Queensland improved from 92 per cent to 93.5 per cent between the June 2015 and June 2016 quarters, while the rates for two-year-olds improved from 89.9 per cent to 91.8 per cent for the same period.


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Published 12 March 2017 5:08pm
Source: AAP


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