摘要：Currently, the first dose of measles-mumps-rubella vaccine (MMR1) is given at the age of 12 months, making up to95% of those vaccinated immune to the measles virus.1Children and adolescents receive a second vaccinationbetween the ages of 10-16 years (MMR2). The majority ofchildren who do not respond to a first dose (primaryvaccine failure) will respond to a second dose. At least99% of children who receive two doses of MMR willbecome immune.1In April 1998, The Australian TechnicalAdvisory Group on Immunisation recommended that theMMR2 given at 10-16 years should cease and that thevaccine be brought forward and given prior to school entry. MMR2 will now be given at the same time as acellular DTP and OPV booster vaccinations to children aged 4-5 years.This recommendation has been endorsed by the NationalHealth and Medical Research Council. The principalobjective of this schedule change is to improve measlescontrol by strengthening the two-dose MMR strategy andreducing build-up of susceptibles. Currently, MMRcoverage in primary school and high school basedcampaigns is sub optimal and poorly documented. It ishoped that incorporating MMR2 into the StandardVaccination Schedule prior to school entry will:. achieve higher measles protection sooner and preventmeasles outbreaks in school aged children;. improve MMR2 coverage by taking advantage ofexisting strategies to improve immunisation coverage in pre-school children. School entry certificates, theAustralian Childhood Immunisation Register (ACIR)recall-reminders, general practice and child careincentives, will now all be applicable to MMR2; and. improve data regarding MMR2 coverage byadministering it at an age at which it can be monitoredusing the ACIR. Feedback of coverage data toimmunisation program managers and providers is alsoexpected to help improve coverage.Moving MMR2 to preschool age means that all childrencurrently in primary school, and some Year 7 and 8children, will need to have a second dose of MMR. TheMeasles Control Campaign, which is being conducted inthe second half of this year, will offer MMR vaccination tothese children. In addition, by vaccinating a largeproportion of the childhood population at once during theCampaign, it should be possible to more rapidly reduce the circulation of measles in the community
