Despite childhood vaccination rates rising across Australia, the centre of Sydney has been revealed as the suburb with the lowest level of immunisation.

Only two thirds of children in this area are up to date with their vaccinations, a statistic which is now worse than in Byron Bay, an area traditionally associated with low immunisation rates due to a strong anti-vaccination movement.

Children living in the 2000 postcode have contributed to keeping the national average below the Federal Government’s target of 95 per cent, with only 70.5 per cent vaccinated in Sydney’s centre.

Coming in second is Burwood, in Sydney’s West, with an immunisation rate of 72.8 per cent. Byron Bay keeps a top three spot with 73.2 per cent of children vaccinated in the area.

Fortunately, the national percentage has increased in recent years and now stands at 93 per cent. Furthermore, the Federal Government is pushing to hit the golden target of 95 per cent with new policies designed to punish parents who aren’t ensuring their children are vaccinated.

As we regularly discuss on the VIVA! blog, vaccination is a topic that brings out strong opinions, but investment into education programmes which focus on the benefits of a fully-immunised population should keep Australia moving in the right direction.

Rates of immunisation in five-year-olds:

National – 93%
Sydney City Centre, NSW (2000) – 70.5%
Burwood, NSW (2134) – 72.8%
Byron Bay, NSW (2481) – 73.2%