Download Community Health Newsletter August 2015

Community Health Newsletter August 2015
Immunisation information for Melbourne’s Outer East
Maroondah City Council in conjunction with Medicare Local, Knox City Council, Yarra
Ranges Council and EACH, has developed a guide to immunisation for Melbourne’s Outer
East residents.
The booklet outlines immunisation information for all age groups, provides links to useful
references, and includes:
 what to expect at your first immunisation visit
 immunisation age limits
 school entry certificates information
 secondary school immunisation program
 vaccines for special risk groups
 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander information
 refugee and asylum seeker information
Please contact Community Health Services on 9294 5603 for a hard copy.
Four-year-old immunisation party
When: 27 August 2015
Where: Keystone Hall, Civic Square, Croydon
Time: 4pm to 6pm
Children due for their four-year-old vaccinations can come dressed in their favourite
costume, and bring along a teddy to be immunised too!
There will be free activities and entertainment including:
 Crumpet the Clown
 colouring
 arts and crafts
 Teddy Bear Hospital
 lucky dip
 bravery awards
Parents can feel confident knowing that Council’s immunisation Service has full accreditation
in compliance with AS/NZS ISO9001:2008 Quality Standards.
Children are eligible to receive their four-year-old immunisation from three-and-a-half years
of age.
For further information about Council’s immunisation program, please contact the
Community Health Services Immunisation team on 9294 5627 or visit Council’s website.
Welcome to Christine Dalgleish
Maroondah City Council’s Community Health Services would like to extend a warm welcome
to our new Immunisation Coordinator, Christine Dalgleish.
“This is a terrific opportunity!” said Christine.
“I am looking forward to further developing the Immunisation Service and promoting health
and wellbeing within the municipality,” she said.
Christine has worked with Maroondah City Council as an Environmental Health Officer,
alongside the immunisation team, since 2011.
Welcome to the immunisation team!
[Chrissie.jpg]
Disease profile - Whooping cough (Pertussis)
Whooping cough (pertussis) is a serious, contagious, respiratory infection caused by the
bacterium, Bordetella pertussis. The disease begins like a cold and then the characteristic
cough develops. This cough may last up to three months, even after antibiotic treatment is
completed and the person is no longer infectious.
Whooping cough is particularly dangerous for babies less than six months of age. They are
affected more seriously by the disease than older children or adults, and are more likely to
develop complications.
Symptoms:
Whooping cough begins with symptoms similar to those of a cold. These can rapidly
progress to include:
 severe cough – occurs in bouts
 characteristic 'whooping' sound on inhalation
 vomiting at the end of a bout of coughing
 poor appetite
 fatigue
 dehydration
Some of the complications of whooping cough in young babies include:
 haemorrhage (bleeding)
 apnoea (stopping breathing for periods of time)
 pneumonia
 inflammation of the brain
 convulsions (fits) and coma
 permanent brain damage
 death.
Causes of whooping cough
The Bordetella pertussis bacterium is spread by airborne droplets from the upper respiratory
tract (when the infected person coughs or sneezes). The time from infection to appearance
of symptoms (incubation period) is between 6 and 20 days.
A person is infectious for the first 21 days of their cough or until they have had five days of a
10-day course of antibiotics.
Immunise against whooping cough
In countries where immunisation rates are high, the risk of catching whooping cough is low.
In Victoria, immunisation against whooping cough is free for:






children
adolescents in secondary school
pregnant women from 28 weeks gestation during every pregnancy
partners of women who are at least 28 weeks pregnant if the partner has not
received a pertussis booster in the last 10 years
parents or guardians of babies born on or after 1 June 2015, if their baby is under six
months of age and they have not received a pertussis booster in the last 10 years
vulnerable eligible people aged 10 years and over
Risk of blood-borne virus transmission linked to
unregistered dentists
In June 2015, the Department of Health announced it was working with the Australian Health
Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) to investigate an unregistered dentist, located in
Rocklands Rise, Meadow Heights, who allegedly provided dental care from as early as 2003
to 1 May 2015.
Several more premises have been identified by APHRA where individuals have allegedly
been providing dental procedures from premises in Meadow Heights and Roxburgh Park.
Investigations by AHPRA and the Department have found that cleaning and sterilisation
processes at these premises were poor. As such, there may have been a significant risk of
poor dental care, local infections and complications for anyone who received dental
treatment at these premises.
The Department has also found there is a risk of transmission of several blood-borne viruses
related to poor infection prevention and control practices allegedly undertaken by this
individual, particularly hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV.
Anyone who received dental services from an unregistered dentist at the above locations
should be tested to identify whether they have contracted a blood-borne virus as a
consequence of the exposure.
The Department is asking anyone who received dental treatment from an unregistered
individual to call 1800 356 061 between the hours of 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday, for
advice and assessment.