FOR the first time, more than 90% of Australian infants are fully immunised, following a concerted campaign to eradicate vaccine-preventable diseases.

The Australian Childhood Immunisation Register coverage report showed that 91.32% of 12-15-month-olds were fully immunised at September 2000, with all states and territories except the NT topping 90%.

The number of infants fully protected has risen steadily since March 1997, when the coverage rate was 74.9%. The new report showed a slightly lower proportion of 24-27-month-olds were fully immunised, with coverage standing at 85.09%, compared with 63.8% in March 1998.

However, the figures still fell short of the NHMRC target of having 90% of all two-year-olds fully immunised by 2000.

A spokeswoman for Federal Health Minister Dr Michael Wool-dridge said the national figures showed one of the most dramatic turnarounds ever in public health. HIC data showed almost 70% of childhood vaccinations were provided in general practice.

The spokeswoman said the immunisation focus now was on attaining higher MMR coverage among men aged 15-30, who were being targeted in a catch-up program.

The report was released as a new report on child health said mass vaccination had been the most effective public health measure to reduce the occurrence of infections and child deaths, and to improve child health.

Child Health Since Federation, released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, said parents' fear of polio in the 1950s and of meningitis in the 1990s had resulted in high levels of participation in vaccination programs.

But report author Professor Fiona Stanley, director of the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research in WA, said that as the incidence and severity of infections fell, parents tended to become apathetic about vaccination.

"Because of its very effectiveness, vaccination is regarded by a significant proportion of the community as unnecessary or dangerous," she said.

Dr Pamela Palasanthiran, staff specialist in paediatric infectious diseases at Sydney Children's Hospital, said vaccination rates of more than 90% would be enough to prevent major epidemics. "Obviously the higher the better, but that is a very good figure worldwide," she said.