FEDERATION CLINIC NEWS NOVEMBER 2011

Staff changes
This month we welcome Dr Alexander Lobanov, MBBS to the Federation Clinic team. Alexander will spend 3 months on rotation with Federation Clinic to gain experience in working in a General Practice. Welcome Alexander to the team!

“Recent changes to pneumococcal vaccine for children - Program providing a supplementary dose of Prevenar 13®”
Federation Clinic provides immunisations for our patients, including babies, children, and adults. Patients may have heard about changes to the pneumococcal vaccination for children. This vaccination protects against various strains of a bug (Streptococcus pneumoniae) that can cause pneumonia and other illness such as ear and and sinus infections, and meningitis.
Children receive this vaccination for pneumococcal at ages 2, 4, and 6 months, as part of the routine National Immunisation Program. The vaccine protects against 7 strains of the pneumococcal bacteria.
However over time the bug has evolved into various different strains. Hence, on 1st July 2011, the National Immunisation Program changed to a 13-strain vaccine called Prevenar-13, providing greater protection against increasingly common new strains of the infection.
Children aged between 12 months and 35 months who have already completed their vaccinations with the 7-strain vaccine, will now be eligible for a free supplementary dose of Prevenar-13. This ‘catch-up’ program will run from 1st October 2011 to 30th September 2012. The benefit of the prevenar-13 vaccination is that it protects against 6 additional strains of pneumococcal infection, which are increasingly implicated in causing severe illness.
The catch-up vaccine is available for all children as listed above, but is especially advised to children who are at risk of greater complications from chest infections, such as chronic lung diseases or heart conditions.
For more information please discuss with your Doctor or clinic nurse. Appointments for immunisations are generally made with our practice nurses, Nicole and Kylie. Both nurses are accredited to provide immunisations and have significant experience with childhood immunisation.
A good reference for immunisation information: www.immunise.health.gov.au or phone: 1800 671 811

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