National Immunisation Coverage for New Zealand This is a series of graphs summarising recent trends in data from the Ministry of Health National and DHB immunisation data (http://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/preventative-health-wellness/immunisation/immunisation-coverage/national-and-dhb-immunisation-data). They show what proportion of New Zealand children, reported as a percent, are fully immunised at 6 months, 8 months, 2 years and 5 years. There are also separate graphs showing proportions of children immunised for different ethnicities and different levels of deprivation.

Main points: • Overall immunization coverage has been declining over the past year

Timeliness • At six months, only 78% fully immunized compared to 92% at 2 years of age. This means there are more than 20% of babies who are

potentially vulnerable to VPD unnecessarily due to delayed vaccination. • Pacific, Māori and other ethnicities (including Middle-Eastern, African and Latin American) have lower coverage at 6 months compared to

New Zealand European and Asian children. Pacific, Māori and other ethnicities need more support to ensure children are able to access immunization in a timely way to maximize protection from vaccine preventable disease.

Equity • Immunisation coverage for Māori aged 2 years has declined sharply the last two years. From around 93% during 2015-2016 down to around

88% this year. • Immunisation coverage for our most vulnerable children aged 2 years living in a high deprivation area (NZ Dep 9-10) is around only 90%

compared to around 93% for other deprivation levels.