This study aimed to determine the Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) vaccination coverage of children vaccinated at school. A campaign was conducted in tandem with the vaccination programme to inform parents, teachers, and physicians of changes in the recommended MMR vaccination schedule - and to urge compliance with this revised strategy.

The evaluation of the Campaign was commissioned by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and was undertaken by the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance of Vaccine Preventable Diseases (NCIRS). The studies carried out in this evaluation were approved by the Departmental Ethics Committee of the Commonwealth Department of Health and Family Services at its meeting in October 1998 (Ethics Register Number: 98/0135).

A total of 8,783 schools with a combined population of 1.78 million eligible children aged 5-12 years participated in the campaign. The schools included primary, combined primary/high schools and special schools; however, only age-appropriate children were included in the analysis.

Awareness of the campaign and of the need to sign a consent form both peaked at 97% during the campaign. The information pack and television advertisements had the highest reach of the campaign elements, with up to 88% and 86% of parents of primary-school-aged and preschool-aged children, respectively, reporting awareness of these elements during the campaign.

89% of parents of primary-school-aged children reported that they were satisfied with the primary school programme; 87% of these parents indicated they would be willing to have their child vaccinated at school in future programmes. The post-campaign parent survey showed that, of all parents who had children vaccinated as part of the campaign, 96% were satisfied with the campaign.

Evaluators claim that the campaign "resulted in a significant increase in levels of protection against measles among preschool and primary school age children, and averted an estimated 17,500 cases of measles (NCIRS 1999)". 1.7 million primary school aged children (96% of children this age) were vaccinated during the campaign. More than 1.3 million of these children were vaccinated in the school programme, in almost 8,800 schools in all States and Territories. A serosurvey conducted after the campaign showed that 94% of children aged 6-12 years were immune to measles, an increase from 84% before the campaign.

The campaign also had an effect in the preschool group. It was estimated that 97.5% of those aged 12-42 months had received their first dose of MMR vaccine, and serology showed that 89% of children aged 2-5 years were protected, a rise from 82% before the campaign. Approximately 18,000 children who were due or overdue for the first dose of MMR vaccine at the beginning of the campaign were vaccinated. The post-campaign serosurvey showed that only 66% of children aged 12-24 months were protected against measles. While the figures for older preschool children indicate that by school age most children had received their first MMR dose, the relatively low level of protection among younger children suggests that they were not receiving their first dose of MMR vaccine at the recommended age of 12 months.

The post-campaign serosurvey also showed that the level of seropositivity in young people aged 12-18 years who were not directly addressed by the campaign remained static at 91% before and after the campaign.

"Let's Work Together to Beat Measles: A report on Australia's Measles Control Campaign" published in PDF format in 2000.