An Open Letter
Dear Premiers and Ministers,
We represent some of the parents and relatives of babies across Australia that have died and battled to survive pertussis (whooping cough).
Firstly, we thank all governments that introduced free whooping cough boosters to parents and carers of newborns since mid 2009. However, we are distressed by the Victorian Government’s decision to cease the program by 30 June 2012, and fear other states will follow.
Why end a program when the epidemic is not over and health authorities worldwide are advising all adults in contact with newborns to have a whooping cough vaccination? Is it worth saving money at any cost?
Please, keep the free booster program in place until you have completed a rigorous review. Give the experts time to find the best and most cost-effective alternative.
Don’t just stop a program without a replacement, and leave parents confused and their babies unprotected.
Whooping cough is notoriously contagious and complex to control. There is no cure and whooping cough can kill 1 in 200 babies that catch it. Since 2008, eight precious Australian babies have died in an epidemic that reached over 38,500 cases in 2011. Without your intervention, we believe the hospitalisations and deaths would be much higher.