In July 2011, when Declan was a little over two months old, his Mum, Samantha, was admitted to hospital where she later learned she had Swine Flu (H1N1), a strain of influenza virus. She had developed pneumonia and both lungs collapsed. She was in the fight of her life when she was told that an ambulance had been called for Declan.

At fifteen days old, Amie was a healthy baby. The next day she was sleepy and not feeding well. Overnight she developed a runny nose. Amie’s Mum was concerned and took her to the GP who recommended an X-Ray and check-up at Prince of Wales Hospital, in Sydney. To her parent’s surprise, Amie was diagnosed with pneumonia.

Tahlea’s life changed forever when, at six months old, she narrowly survived Invasive Meningococcal Disease (IMD) or ‘meningococcal’. For Tahlea and other Aboriginal children, the incidence of meningococcal is forty times higher than for other children in Australia.

Measles can affect nine out of ten people exposed to the virus, if not immune. Laine was too young to be vaccinated when she got the measles at ten months old. She survived, but at seven years of age she complained to her Mum, Cecily, she felt ‘dumb’ and was having trouble following instructions. Cecily was worried. Weeks later Laine was diagnosed with Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis (SSPE) as a complication of Laine’s measles.

In 2012, Melanie and Sean’s daughter, Mylee, was a healthy fifteen-month-old baby. When she went to bed, after her busy day at day care, she smiled at Sean and went to sleep. When they tried to wake her the next morning, she was unresponsive. Despite CPR and emergency services intervention, Mylee passed away.

Mabel had a great day exploring her new swing at her Brisbane home. She was six months old and Mum, Carly, had ensured Mabel was up to date with all recommended vaccinations. Later that night she vomited several times. In the morning Carly took her to the Queensland Children’s Hospital. After another unsettled night, tests confirmed, Mabel had pneumococcal meningitis.

Pneumococcal is a vaccine preventable disease.

If you are able to, please help us keep our promise by donating $8 in honour of Riley's 8th birthday.

With your support, we can get our "Riley" posters & brochures in more clinics and protect even more little lives.

This is a global study, involving 600 schoolaged children and teenagers at 20 locations across the United Kingdom and Australia.

Only weeks after Riley died in 2015, whooping cough vaccines became free and recommended for all pregnant Australians.

Whooping cough is a vaccine preventable disease.

Lily narrowly survived but lost her kidneys and adrenal glands. After nine months on dialysis, she received a kidney donation from her sister, Grace. Today, she is a strong voice for immunisation and organ donation and wants all adults to protect against vaccine preventable diseases.

Meningococcal is a vaccine preventable disease.

The World Health Organisation estimates that a child dies every 20 seconds from a disease that could have been prevented by a vaccine.

With your help, we are determined to change that.

With international travel having resumed, MMR vaccination is particularly important to ensure Western Australians visiting countries with endemic measles are adequately protected.

"The new detections of polio this year in previously polio-free countries are a stark reminder that if we do not deliver our goal of ending polio everywhere, it may resurge globally," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a statement.

These are the recommended COVID-19 vaccines for each age group

Childhood Vaccination is Important

Pfizer has been granted provisional approval by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) to use its COVID-19 vaccine as a booster dose in children aged five to 11 years old.

Polio is back in the global conversation

People vulnerable to the monkeypox virus are being advised to receive the latest smallpox vaccine to protect themselves.

Australian Olympian turned medical doctor Jana Pittman is urging Australians not to forget influenza or forego protection in winter.

With cases of COVID-19 rising, governments across the country are hoping that a surge in the uptake of fourth COVID-19 vaccine shots will curb hospital admissions.