A MELTON mother says she is appalled her daughter was immunised against her written wishes.
Jenny Vida said her daughter Laura, 12, was given a chicken pox immunisation by a Melton Council officer at Kurunjang Secondary College last week, despite a consent form stating she did not want her daughter vaccinated.
Mrs Vida said she made the decision after she called the National Immunisation Program hotline and was told her daughter did not require a second dose given that she had received the vaccine at age two.
The council’s general manager of corporate services, Peter Bean, said during a routine follow-up call to Mrs Vida, a council officer had outlined Health Department recommendations and obtained verbal consent.
But Mrs Vida said she had later called the council officer and left several messages to say she did not want her daughter immunised.
On the day of the immunisation, Mrs Vida attached a handwritten note stating she did not give consent for the vaccination.
” I am disgusted … my daughter told the council worker that her mum said she was not to have it, and she showed him the note but it was ignored,” Mrs Vida said.
Mr Bean said a procedural error meant the note was not read, and Laura was immunised in line with the previously obtained verbal consent.
“Council officers have been in contact with the mother to apologise for the error,” he said.
The Health Department recommends vaccinating children against chicken pox at 18 months and again in year 7, unless they have already had the infection.
Kurunjang Secondary College said it was unable to comment.
A spokesman for the federal Health and Ageing Department said local councils delivered the immunisation sessions and were responsible for ensuring that parental consent has been obtained, either in writing or verbally.
He said there were no safety concerns related to a second dose of the vaccine.
