Immunisation: Past, present and future

Titiro Whakamuri, Hoki Whakamua 

2024 Marked 50 years since the establishment of the EPI (Expanded Program on Immunisation) by WHO. The immense impact on reduction of morbidity and mortality from vaccine preventable childhood diseases (VPDs) was monumental.

However this success has also lead to current naivete of general populus, who do not recognise the danger of VPDs, as most have never seen or experienced them.

For a significant number of parents the vaccines have become a more prominent threat than the diseases themselves.

Immunisations rates far below the ideal to achieve herd immunity. Added Māori immunisation rates are far below other ethnicities, in some regions more than 40% of mokopuna under 2years of age are unprotected. So as we look forward to the future of immunisation what learnings from the past can we use to improve immunisation rates.

What new technologies can revolutionise how we administer immunisations, are needless vaccines an important means of reducing vaccine hesistancy?