The Australian Academy of Science strives to create a scientifically informed community that is guided by and enjoys the benefits of scientific endeavour. Through its distinguished Fellows and its National Committees for Science, it is able to draw deeply on expertise from across the Australian science community to report on important scientific issues.
The Australian Academy of Science first published this report in 2012 to support public understanding of how vaccination protects us from infectious diseases. Two groups of internationally recognised scientists were formed to answer the six big questions that are most often asked about immunisation and vaccination science. An expert working group drafted the questions and answers, and an oversight committee comprehensively reviewed the answers to ensure they were based on the current state of knowledge. This 2016 edition has been fine-tuned to improve clarity and to reflect scientific advances.
The Academy is grateful for the pro-bono contributions made to this report by the contributing experts. The Academy also thanks the Australian Government Department of Health for providing financial support to prepare and publish the original version of this report as well as this refreshed edition.
© 2024 Australian Academy of Science
