Local kids will soon be better protected from preventable diseases thanks to new laws being introduced by the Queensland Government.
Under the laws, approved early childhood education and care services will be protected if they decide to exclude children who are not fully immunised against vaccine-preventable diseases.
State Member for Morayfield, Mark Ryan MP, said he supported new laws designed to better protect young and vulnerable Queenslanders from preventable diseases.
“I strongly support vaccination because it is the best way to protect children and the community from preventable diseases,” Mr Ryan said.
“By vaccinating your child, you are helping protect children who are too young to be vaccinated or can’t be vaccinated for medical reasons.
“Conditions like whooping cough, while usually mild for adults, can have tragic consequences for very young children.
“Most parents are doing the right thing and making sure their children are fully immunised, but some do not take this important step.
“This is why the Queensland Government wants to empower early childhood education and care services to have a conversation with parents about their child’s immunisation needs and encourage families to vaccinate.
“Importantly, these laws will protect early childhood education and care services when they make decisions about enrolment based on the best interests of children in their care.
“However, the new laws still allow early childhood education and care services to admit children who are not fully immunised, if they consider it reasonable in the individual circumstances.”
The new laws will come into effect from 1 January 2016 and apply to all early childhood education and care services approved to operate in Queensland. Parents can find out more about vaccination by visiting www.qld.gov.au/vaccinate or calling 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84).
Queensland Health has also developed the VacciDate smart phone app to help parents keep a record of each child’s immunisations and provide reminders when vaccinations and appointments are due. The app is available to download free from Google Play and iTunes stores.
