Public Health and Communicable Diseases - SA Health - SA.Gov.au

the Netherlands (8.5%), 27 whose surveillance systemsrely primarily on notifications from health professionalsand vaccine manufacturers.This commitment to parental reporting in SouthAustralia has fostered further research into attitudestoward vaccines and vaccine safety. From Case Study1, research conducted as part of the SA Vaccine SafetyData Linkage Project, we know that South Australianparents are highly supportive of vaccine safetymonitoring and generally believe vaccines are safe.This is supported by data from the Australian ChildhoodImmunisation Register, which places the proportionof “conscientious objectors” at around 2-3%. 28 Wealso know that parents are prepared to accept a newmethod of monitoring vaccine safety, called data linkage,provided their permission to participate is soughtbeforehand.The parents interviewed in Case Study 2, followingtheir child experiencing an AEFI, were not deterredfrom continuing their child’s vaccinations, howeverthey did require more information about adversereactions afterwards. This study also provided theSA Immunisation Coordination Unit with valuablesuggestions for improving the management of AEFI andreinforced the need for access to comprehensive riskbenefitinformation prior to immunisation. Finally, CaseStudy 3 has shown that the uptake of new vaccinessuch as chickenpox, is not so much influenced byconcern about side effects but rather lack of knowledgeabout the vaccine, as well as cost.ConclusionVaccine safety is a major component of a qualityimmunisation program. SA is leading the way in vaccinesafety monitoring and research regarding communityattitudes. The case studies presented here should givepolicy makers and immunisation providers reassurancethat public confidence in vaccines is currently high in SA.What is unclear however, is whether this confidencewill be adequate to protect us from another “Wakefieldesque”vaccine safety crisis. To avoid this risk in thefuture, immunisation providers and policy-makerswill need to work very closely with parents andkey stakeholders to maintain confidence, ensuretransparency and better understand what affects publicconfidence in vaccines.A symposium coordinated by the University of AdelaidePreventive Healthcare Research Cluster “Linking scienceto a shot in the arm” held in April 2006 provided aninvaluable opportunity to begin aligning these researchactivities with policy priorities. There is considerablescope for research in this area and those interested informing collaborations are encouraged to contact DrMike Gold on 08 8161 7266 for further information.The cornerstone of the South Australian vaccine safetysurveillance system is the active promotion of reportingby parents. If you suspect an AEFI or would like adviceon managing or reporting an AEFI, please contact SAICUon 08 8226 7177 9am-4.30pm Monday-Friday, or theChild and Youth Health Parent Helpline on 1300 364 10024hrs, 7 days a week.CASE STUDY 1Community and provider attitudes to vaccine safetyand data linkage: Acceptability findings from the SAVaccine Safety (SAVeS) Data Linkage ProjectData linkage (DL) is used to monitor vaccine safety inthe USA, UK, Scandinavia and Vietnam, and Australia’sfirst pilot project is presently being conducted inSA. Although DL can improve the quality of studiesevaluating vaccine safety, there is scant research onattitudes towards the method.To better understand community and immunisationprovider feelings regarding data linkage and vaccinesafety, surveys were conducted in 2004 and repeatedin 2005. Community attitudes were collected via the SAHealth Omnibus survey (n=3000), and immunisationprovider attitudes via postal survey (n=830).Preliminary results indicate that most respondentsbelieved adult and childhood vaccines are very safe(58-87%), however providers were more likely to thinkthis (P