Forbes Medical Centre’s Dr Neale Somes has encouraged locals to reflect on the devastating impact on previous generations by many diseases and illnesses before they decide whether to immunise their children or themselves.

He points to the poliomyelitis (polio) epidemic of the 1940s and 1950s, which affected at least 17,000 Australians (mostly children) from 1944 to 1954. More than 1000 deaths were recorded.

Dr Somes said families of the era were all too familiar with polio’s devastating affects and lined up in their thousands when a new treatment, known as a vaccine, was developed.

“Polio was a disease the community all knew about and they knew the long term complications were significant, and then when the vaccination, which was a break-away treatment, became available they lined up around the block. They all wanted to volunteer,” Dr Somes said.

“I just find it ironic that thousands of people were willing to put up their hand to try out what was a largely experimental, untried treatment to prevent a dreadful disease, and now it seems successful vaccinations are the victim of their own success.”

Dr Somes says the federal government’s recently announced extensions to the ‘no jab, no pay’ measures, which would cut welfare payments to parents who refuse to vaccinate their children, highlights the extent of immunisation apathy.

While so-called ‘conscientious objectors’ to immunisation are part of the problem, Dr Somes says complacency is the bigger issue.

He says immunisation rates in Forbes are generally good, but if only 10 per cent of a community are not vaccinated, either through apathy or misinformation, a disease or illness can proliferate.

The welfare ban for vaccine refusers will cover the childcare rebate, the childcare benefit and the annual Family Tax Benefit A supplement and could be worth up to $15,000 for every child depending on family income.