SYDNEY, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Vaccination rates among Australian children have declined since 2020, according to new data.

The data, which was released on Thursday by the Sydney-based National Center for Immunization Research and Surveillance (NCIRS), revealed that 91.6 percent of Australian children aged 12 months in 2024 were fully vaccinated, down from 94.8 percent in 2020.

Among children aged 24 months in 2024, fully vaccinated coverage was 89.4 percent compared to 92.1 percent in 2020. It marked the first time since 2016 that coverage for the group fell below 90 percent.

The proportion of those who had received all required immunizations by the age of five fell from 94.8 percent in 2020 to 92.7 percent in 2024.

Gary Grohmann, former director of immunobiology at Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration and former consultant to the World Health Organization, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that the figures were "absolutely alarming."

According to the NCIRS, 81.1 percent of Australian girls and 77.9 percent of boys had received at least one dose of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine before their 15th birthday in 2024. In 2020, the first dose coverage was 86.6 percent for girls and 84.9 percent for boys.

Grohmann was most concerned about parts of Australia where recent data revealed as few as 75 percent of two-year-olds have had their required vaccinations.

"We will see further spread of disease, particularly measles," he said.

"There will be more hospitalizations. And although we have really good medical care in Australia, it could be that children will die of measles or get serious disease," he said. ■