Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes an infection of the lungs and respiratory tract and for young infants it can lead to more serious illnesses, including bronchiolitis and pneumonia. Photo: 123rf
Te Whatu Ora is working on plans to empower pharmacists to carry out all childhood vaccinations - including for babies - in a bid to bolster falling immunisation rates.
The proposal to widen access to a range of funded vaccines (including against tetanus, polio, rotavirus, hepatitis B and chickenpox), has the support of Whānau Āwhina Plunket but has alarmed some GPs, who warn vulnerable babies and their families could miss out on the wrap-around care they need.
Te Whatu Ora national public health service director Dr Nick Chamberlain told Nine to Noon it was intended to be "a back-up option" for families who were not enrolled with a GP.
"The preferred location for all childhood immunisations is the GP practice, because of that continuity of care and it also aligns well with that six-week check.
"But the reality is that 17 percent of our population, our children, 2700, are missing at 24 months a full vaccination programme.
"And actually even within general practice, a large number - 23 percent, approximately 3400 - are not receiving a six-week check on time and are not enrolled with general practice.
"So we do see utilising pharmacies as a way of getting children into the system and engaging with general practice as well."'
General Practice Owners Association chairperson Dr Angus Chambers said those early immunisation appointments were about more than protection against disease.
"Getting people started at six weeks is really key. It's an incredibly vulnerable time for one of the most vulnerable citizens in our society, with anxious parents, and it's a very, very skilled job."
The immunisation schedule at six weeks involved eight different vaccinations and usually required two nurses over 45 minutes, with GPs on site "in case of adverse events", Chambers said.
"The consent process is very involved, and requires a lot of explanation and it needs to be done sensitively."
As well as checking babies' overall development, it was also an important opportunity to build relationships with whānau, and screen for maternal mental health and family violence.
"It's very hard to raise those kind of issues with people if you don't have a relationship with them," Chambers said.
He believed funding for the programme would be better invested in GP clinics to help them provide holistic care.
"The consent process is very involved, and requires a lot of explanation and it needs to be done sensitively" - General Practice Owners Association chair Dr Angus Chambers