Cairns health officials are raising the alarm as local immunisation rates fall to their lowest levels in years, with new data showing HPV coverage has dropped to just 56 per cent. The decline has prompted concern among clinicians who say young people are now facing increased risk from preventable diseases- including vaccine preventable cervical Ccancer.
Cairns Hospital’s Dr Tonia Marquardt says she finds the downward trend worrying and is urging parents to ensure students receive their vaccinations through school clinics. She says lifting coverage to 90 per cent is their target in order to to restore community protection.
Health teams are now working with schools to encourage parents and carers to return consent forms and take up catch‑up opportunities, hoping to halt the slide before it becomes harder to reverse.
