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What do we know about 7vPCV coverage in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children?

In 2001, a publicly funded pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (7vPCV) program commenced for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged under two years. At present, there is very little knowledge about the uptake of 7vPCV vaccine amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. This study examined the rollout and use of 7vPCV vaccine in Australia and estimated immunisation coverage for Indigenous children at the age of 12 months for 7vPCV vaccine. To calculate 7vPCV coverage we chose four consecutive 3-month birth cohorts born between 1 October 2001 and 30 September 2002. The immunisation status of children in each birth cohort was assessed at 12 months for the third dose of 7vPCV vaccine. The largest absolute number of 7vPCV doses was given in Queensland, the Northern Territory and New South Wales. As the 7vPCV program matured, a progressively higher proportion of total doses was administered to children under the age of 12 months consistent with the introduction of the program. For all jurisdictions except the Northern Territory and Western Australia, where it has remained reasonably constant, estimated coverage increased over the most recent birth cohorts but was still less than 50 per cent for all states except the Northern Territory, Queensland, and Western Australia. This study provides the first national measure of 7vPCV immunisation coverage among Indigenous children in Australia. With the likely improvement over time in the recording of 7vPCV vaccinations and Indigenous status on the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register, the validity of coverage estimates is likely to increase.