The Immunisation Advisory Centre (IMAC) is a New Zealand-wide organisation which provides information and training about immunization and vaccine-preventable diseases to health care professionals, government bodies, and individuals. It co-ordinates the nation's immunisation programmes, policy advice and research. It was launched in 1997, and is based at The

University of Auckland , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...

Recurrring situations

Every year, IMAC is involved in planning, promoting, and monitoring the delivery of the seasonal

influenza vaccine Influenza vaccines, also known as flu shots, are vaccines that protect against infection by influenza viruses. New versions of the vaccines are developed twice a year, as the influenza virus rapidly changes. While their effectiveness varies fr ...

. They are also called on to comment on social factors, such as the role that social media might have in spreading anti-vaccine conspiracy theories.

Response to outbreaks

Measles (2019)

In 2011, there were nearly 600 cases of

measles Measles is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by measles virus. Symptoms usually develop 10–12 days after exposure to an infected person and last 7–10 days. Initial symptoms typically include fever, often greater than , cough, ...

in NZ. By 2017, the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...

declared that measles was eradicated from New Zealand. So the only cases originate in people arriving from overseas who carry the disease. But there was an outbreak in 2019 and by November 2019 over 2,000 cases had been reported that year, a third of which required hospitalisation. Most cases were people who were not vaccinated, or it was not known whether they had been vaccinated. The outbreak reached its peak in September 2019, and it took until 11-17 January 2020 before there was the first week without any new cases. IMAC director Nikki Turner released a paper analysing the factors that drove this event. It is suspected to have originated from Disneyland. And a generation born between 1982 and 2007 had low immunization rates, allowing the disease to spread once it gets in. Vaccination records are incomplete for that period, as the National Immunisation Register was only introduced in 2005. The IMAC instigated a program to identify the gaps in immunization, and offer the affected people information so they can fill in the gaps. Turner said: "New Zealand, I believe, needs to offer at least a single measles-containing vaccine to everybody under 50, who does not have a clear record." In February 2020, the Ministry of Health announced funding of NZ$23million to build on this initiative with a combined

MMR vaccine The MMR vaccine is a vaccine against measles, mumps, and rubella (German measles), abbreviated as ''MMR''. The first dose is generally given to children around 9 months to 15 months of age, with a second dose at 15 months to 6 years of age, ...

catch-up programme.

COVID-19 (2020-2021)

The

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

arrived in New Zealand early in 2020, with the first case reported on 28 February and the first fatality reported on 29 March, the same week that New Zealand declared a state of national emergency and went into a complete

lock-down A lockdown is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks (such as COVID-19) that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison ...

. In addition to providing independent information, in February 2021 the Ministry of Health contracted IMAC to provide training to staff who will administer the vaccines. The COVID-19 vaccination rollout which started in March 2021 is the biggest such program ever undertaken in NZ, so the IMAC briefed Members of Parliament on the how the available vaccines work and the international data about effectiveness and side effects, advised the government on development of the four-stage vaccination framework, and worked closely with the medical profession to educate and co-ordinate the doctors. Spokespeople from IMAC frequently provide commentary to the media on the status of the vaccination programme.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Immunisation Advisory Centre, New Zealand Public health Health policy Organizations associated with the COVID-19 pandemic Organizations established in 1997 COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand