Immunisations for school-aged tamariki
Ngā tamariki kura

[Children playing and shouting]
[DUANE] All right. Looking at this camera thing...
[HINETAAPORA] Well okay, but how does it work?
[DUANE] Well, you just mount the camera on this pod and...
boom! There you have it.
[HINETAAPORA] It is so cool!
[DUANE] Hey I'm Duane.
[HINETAAPORA] And I'm Hinetaapora.
Did you know that, like a soccer ball,
diseases can get passed around from person to person?
[DUANE] Diseases? Gross!
[HINETAAPORA] They are so nasty that we're going to tell you how to avoid getting them
and passing them on.
[HINETAAPORA AND DUANE} Hey, come back here!
[Sound of crowd supporting sports game]
[HINETAAPORA] Because those diseases can get passed around, it's important that you get immunised
to protect yourself and to stop diseases spreading.
[DUANE] Faster man, you should have passed it!
[DUANE] My mum and dad said I was immunised when I was a baby.
[HINETAAPORA] True, but around year 7 you need a top-up just to make sure.
It's called Boostrix.
[DUANE] So if you've missed out on any shots as a baby
now's a great time to catch up, right?
[HINETAAPORA] Right!
[DUANE] What does immunisation do exactly?
[HINETAAPORA] It does 2 important things. It protects us and it protects everyone else.
[DUANE] Okay I get how it protects me but how does it help to protect other people?
[HINETAAPORA] Well look at the goalie. He's really unwell. He is so sick right now
that he can't be immunised. This makes him vulnerable.
Now imagine that the soccer ball is a nasty disease. The blue team can protect
the goalie and keep the disease away - stop it from scoring -
because they're all immunised.
[DUANE] Ah, I get it. They protect the goalie because they stop the disease from spreading?
[HINETAAPORA] Right. The more people who get immunised, the less chance of these diseases getting passed on.
So we shouldn't get immunised
just for our own sakes, but for everybody's.
Immunisation is how they got rid of lots nasty diseases in the old days.
People are much healthier in New Zealand now than when our nanas and granddads were kids,
or even our mums and dads.
[DUANE] But we can't be too careful. That's why we're going to get ourselves immunised.
So these days, what do we need to get immunised for?
[HINETAAPORA] Okay Duane, take a look at these diseases.
But, I'm warning you, they're really gross.
This is diptheria. See.
[DUANE] Gross right?
[HINETAAPORA] It attacks the throat. It can even cause someone to be paralysed
or suffocate. Those orange things are what diphtheria germs look like.
[DUANE] How about this?
[HINETAAPORA] It's tetanus. It gets into your body through cuts and grazes and it
makes your muscles seize up.
[DUANE] Oh.. well... no sucker for them. What about this one?
[HINETAAPORA] That's the germ that gives you pertussis
[DUANE] Whooping cough?
[HINETAAPORA] Yep, still quite common. And, for older people, mostly it's just a bad cough.
But it's very contagious and, if a baby gets it, it can be deadly.
[DUANE] I'd rather have an injection than risk passing that onto them I reckon.
[DUANE] This immunisation stuff sounds really cool. The only thing is....
[HINETAAPORA] What?
[DUANE] Nothing...
[HINETAAPORA] Come on...
[DUANE] I don't like injections.
[HINETAAPORA] You're scared?
[DUANE] No, of course not! It's not me... you ask anybody!
[HINETAAPORA] Well the nurses know what they're doing. They'll make it easy as!
All it is is 1 injection that can help us and everyone else
from these 3 serious diseases.
[DUANE] It's better than getting one of them, eh?
[HINETAAPORA] Definitely. Do you know how that injection works?
[DUANE] I know it helps your immune system.
Your immune system makes special blood cells and antibodies that
attack any harmful bug that gets into your body.
What I don't know is how does a little injection help?
[HINETAAPORA] So when you're immunised the nurse injects a tiny amount of the bug into your arm.
[DUANE] But that would make you ill.
[HINETAAPORA] No Duane, it's like soccer.
[DUANE] What??
[HINETAAPORA] Each team wears a different coloured shirt, so you know who's on your side
and who isn't. You can recognize an opponent right away and deal with them.
That little bit of the bug you get from the
nurse has been specially treated so it's too small and harmless to give you the
disease. But it's just like the team yellow shirt.
It's all your immune system needs to recognise the opposition.
If you ever get the germ for real, your immune system already knows what it is
and can kill it before it can harm you.
[DUANE] Wow that's amazing!
Tell you what, let's go and see the school nurse now?
[HINETAAPORA] Good idea. She could tell us more about it.
Oh, grab this. [laughter]
[HINETAAPORA AND DUANE] Hi nurse.
[NURSE ELLA] Hi guys. How's it going?
[HINETAAPORA AND DUANE] Good.
[NURSE ELLA] What you got there?
[HINETAAPORA] It's our camera. Want to see it?
[NURSE ELLA] Yeah! Cool. Well what do I do with it?
[HINETAAPORA] Just move it around.
[NURSE ELLA] Oh wooh.... oh wooh..
[DUANE] Makes you feel sick.
[NURSE ELLA] Really.
[DUANE] We hoped you'd tell us a bit more about immunisation.
[HINETAAPORA] So we can boost our immune system.
[DUANE] To protect against diptheria, tetanus... and... per...
[HINETAAPORA] Pertussis. You know, whooping cough?
[NURSE ELLA} Sounds like you know a fair bit already. But sure, I can give you some tips for when you come back next time.
[HINETAAPORA] Thanks. I've heard some kids react really badly to an injection.
[NURSE ELLA] Hardly ever, but it can happen.
You probably won't have any side effects at all. A few people feel a
little dizzy, sick, or get a fever or a headache after their vaccination.
This is normal and should get better on its own.
There are things you can do to help.
Make sure you have breakfast or lunch before your injection.
Even a snack before or afterwards will help stop you feeling faint.
The injections are done in your upper arm so wear a loose shirt,
preferably with short sleeves. Take things easy afterward.
Your nurse will keep an eye on you after the vaccination and will provide you with
all the advice you need. If you've reacted badly to an injection before
or even if you've just been ill lately, somebody in your family should
ask the doctor or practice nurse if it's okay for you to have the immunisation.
If you have asthma, allergies, or you're getting over something not too serious
like a common cold, you can still be immunised. Your parents can
talk to the nurse if they would like more information, but the important thing
is that the benefits of immunisation are huge compared to the risks.
[DUANE] Not that I'm scared or anything... but...
[HINETAAPORA] Yes you are.
[NURSE ELLA] You want to know if it hurts right?
[HINETAAPORA] It doesn't really hurt. It's over quickly and it just feels a little tender .
[NURSE ELLA] That's really normal. Let's go and see what some other kids thought.
[STUDENT 1] I thought it was going to be really, really sore but it was actually just like a little pinch.
[STUDENT 2] I thought the needle was going to be about this big...
... but it was actually this big.
[STUDENT 3] I was a bit nervous. I think everyone was.
But it was fine and the nurses were really nice.
[STUDENT 4] I looked away and she put the needle in and she took it out
and I said "um are we gonna do it now?" and she said "It's done."
[STUDENT 5] I had a bit of a sore arm for
a few hours but it didn't last very long.
[STUDENT 4] So, I didn't even know it was doing it.
[NURSE ELLA] See, not a problem. Still, in about 1 in a million cases,
an allergic reaction can occur. But we nurses are trained to deal
with it and, as I said before, problems are very rare indeed. They're all covered
off in this form. All kids get one to take home, so you can get consent from
your parents.
[DUANE] Okay nurse, you've convinced me. I'm ready.
[NURSE ELLA] It's great you're so keen, Duane, but I can't do it yet.
[HINETAAPORA] He has to get approval from home, eh. That's what I had to do
[NURSE ELLA] That's right, Hinetaapora. We can't immunise any kid until
the parents or guardians let the nurses know whether or not you can have the
vaccines. That's why all kids get a consent form to take home.
It has everything they need to know. It has to be filled in, signed, and brought
back to school before we can do your immunisation.
Tell your parents to fill in section A to get the immunisation done at school
or section B if they don't want you to get it. Either way, they must sign the
form and you have to bring it back to school. But if your parents or guardians
aren't sure about anything, don't worry. They can talk to me or any school nurse,
the doctor, or the practice nurse. They can even watch this video for themselves.
Now you'd better get on back to the soccer. I'll see you again soon, okay?
[HINETAAPORA] Thanks Miss.
So, not scared anymore?
[DUANE] Never was.
[HINETAAPORA] Were!
[DUANE] Was not!
[HINETAAPORA] Were too!
[MUSIC]

[Hinetaapora] Hi! I’m Hinetaapora. I’m going to talk to you about being immunised against HPV.

That's short for human papillomavirus.

A group of viruses that can live in skin cells

They’re passed on in different ways through skin to skin contact and they’re pretty common. Did you know, four out of five people get them in their teenage years? Most of the time you wouldn’t even know that they’re there and they usually go away on their own.

But sometimes they hang around, and then they can be really nasty.

Hi

[Ella] Oh, hi Hinetaapora, how can I help?

[Hinetaapora] I would like to know about the HPV immunisation.

[Ella] Well we give you this HPV immunisation, at school, about age 12 because we know that’s the best time for you to be protected. This is the age where you produce the best antibodies after your vaccinations.

Most people will be infected with HPV at some point in their lives. This can lead to genital warts, and for a few, this can cause cancer, especially cervical cancer.

More than 50 women in New Zealand die of cervical cancer every year, and lots more need hospital treatment.

[Hinetaapora] Right, so it’s pretty serious.

[Ella] It is.

[Hinetaapora] Is it just girls who can get HPV?

[Ella] No, boys get it too. They don’t get cervical cancer, but they can get cancer in other parts of their body if they get infected.

[Hinetaapora] So how does Immunisation work?

[Ella]  The immune system protects us against germs by making special blood cells and antibodies.

The first time your body meets a germ, your body takes time to make the blood cells and antibodies to fight off that germ.

It’s during this time that the germs can sometimes make you unwell. But a healthy immune system will eventually fight off the germs.

Once your immune system has encountered a germ, it can recognise it the next time it sees it. Your immune system is able to fight off the germs before you become unwell. This is called immunity.

HPV immunisation works by making your body recognise the most common kinds of HPV that can cause cervical cancer and genital warts. The HPV vaccine contains little particles that look the same as some of the particles on the outside of the real virus.

Because they are only particles and not the real virus you can’t get HPV from the vaccine. They’ll just help your immune system fight the HPV virus in the future.

[Hinetaapora] I’ve heard some kids can react badly to an injection.

[Ella] Hardly ever but it can happen.

You probably won’t have any side effects at all.

A few people feel a little dizzy, sick or get a fever or headache after their vaccination. This is normal, and should get better on its own.

[Ella]  There are things you can do to help.

Make sure you have breakfast or lunch before your injection. Even a snack before or afterwards will help stop you feeling faint. 

The injections are done in your upper arm, so wear a loose shirt, preferably with short sleeves.

Take things easy afterwards. Your nurse will keep an eye on you after the vaccination and will provide you with all the advice you need.

If you’ve reacted badly to an injection before, or even if you’ve just been ill lately, somebody in your family should ask the doctor or practice nurse if it’s OK for you to have the immunisation.

If you have asthma, allergies, or you’re getting over something not too serious like a common cold, you can still be immunised. Your parents can talk to the nurse if they would like more information.

But the important thing is that the benefits of immunisation are huge compared to the risks.

[Ella] It will take 2 injections a few months apart to be fully protected.

In very rare cases a problem can occur. But we nurses are trained to deal with it and, as I said, problems are very rare indeed.

They’re covered off in the form you will get to take home.

[Hinetaapora] So once you’ve been immunised. You’re covered right?

[Ella] Actually, that’s not the end of the story.

When girls become adults, they should get a smear test done every few years. This is another way to protect against the risk of cancer.

[Hinetaapora] So to get immunised, kids need to get the form signed, right?

[Ella] That’s right Hinetaapora. We can’t immunise any kid before the parents or guardians let the nurses know whether or not you can have the vaccines.

We’re handing these out to all kids to take home.

It has everything they need to know.

It has to be filled in, signed and brought back to school before we can do your immunisation.

Tell your parents to fill in Section A to get the immunisation done at school or Section B if they don’t want you to get it.

Either way, they must sign the form, and you have to bring it back to school.

But if your parents or guardians aren’t sure about anything, don’t worry.

They can talk to me or any school nurse, the doctor or the practice nurse.

They can even watch this video for themselves – online at www.health.govt.nz/immunisation

[Hinetaapora] You want to keep yourself healthy, right? Get your parents to sign the form so you can be immunised against HPV.

[Abbie] My name is Abbie, I'm 18 years old and next year I'm going to be heading off to the University of Canterbury and I'm doing a Bachelor of Science where I'm going to major in medicinal chemistry.

[Jayden] My name is Jayden and I'm 17 years old. I'm heading up to the University of Auckland next year to study engineering. Just last week I got the meningococcal vaccine to protect myself.

My medical centre emailed advertising about it that it was government funded, so I decided to get it.

The email advertised it as a good protection for staying in a hall of residence where there's so many people in a confined space.

[Abi] I had the meningococcal vaccine early last week I learned that meningitis can actually be quite dangerous and can come really bad, really quickly. [Jayden] It didn't hurt at all I just got the vaccine a sore arm for a couple days but that's just the normal.

[Abi] I've got all my childhood vaccines from very young to now so for me this is just another vaccine I need to get to protect me against another disease.