New Zealand could eliminate measles and significantly reduce other diseases with more funding for immunisation, says the author of a study into child immunisation.
Dr Nikki Turner, director of the Immunisation Advisory Centre at Auckland University, says government subsidies made child immunisation free for parents but it cost doctors to follow up and make sure as many children as possible were vaccinated.
She said New Zealand had failed to meet its national immunisation targets, with only 80% of two-year-old children vaccinated against diseases which included measles, mumps, rubella, whooping cough and a range of other diseases.
Between 3% and 4% of parents refused to vaccinate their children but even taking that into account, if 95% of children were vaccinated, measles would disappear.
Turner says the $18 government subsidy for every child needed to be lifted by at least $5 to give general practices the resources to follow up children and make sure they were vaccinated and vaccinated on time.
"It is costing more than they are getting subsidised.
"They are not funded to do the extra work that is required to increase immunisation coverage."
She says the existing subsidy did not recognise that general practices had to put in extra time to recall children when they failed to turn up and make sure they were vaccinated.
She says many countries "never see measles because their immunisation coverage is high enough".
"We could get rid of measles forever. At 95% (of vaccination) we would eradicate measles," Dr Turner says.
A higher rate of immunisation would also give a lot better control of other diseases.
"The immunisation funding structure needs to be reviewed urgently," she says.
