The Australian Academy of Science and the Australian Medical Association today combined medicine and scientific research to launch the Academy's new app, Science Q&A, an authoritative evidence-based resource to empower Australians to make informed decisions about immunisation.
The free app is a tablet-based companion to the highly successful Academy publication, The Science of Immunisation: Questions and Answers, that was devised by a panel of national experts to explain the latest immunology science in accessible language.
Based on a series of key questions and incorporating graphics and pop-up boxes, the app puts at parents’ fingertips the best available scientific knowledge, answering common questions and dispelling common myths about the pros and cons of immunisation.
Academy President Professor Suzanne Cory urged all parents to use the app as an aid to making crucial decisions about their children’s health.
"This app is designed to assist parents and indeed every Australian to make informed decisions about immunisation," she said.
"The Academy is strongly committed to empowering people to understand scientific issues and base their decisions on the best available evidence."
World-renowned immunologist and Academy Fellow Sir Gus Nossal said the importance of immunisation cannot be overstated.
"Not only does this safeguard children from serious and potentially fatal infections, but high immunisation coverage at community level ensures that viruses and bacteria do not have enough fertile 'soil' on which to grow, so that risk of infection is minimised by 'herd immunity'," Professor Nossal said.
Science Q&A is available for android and Apple tablets, and can be downloaded free from the Google and Apple stores from today.
The app also provides access to an earlier booklet produced by the Academy, exploring questions and answers of climate change science.
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