Australian immunisation rates are lower than those of many developing countries including Rwanda, Eritrea and Bangladesh, according to a global report.

Disability is the focus of UNICEF`s State of the World`s Children 2013 report that examines a broad range of areas such as health, education and child protection in almost 200 countries.

While Australia is regarded as a world leader in disability, it compares unfavourably with many countries on immunisation.

The report, to be released in Vietnam on Thursday, comes as the NSW government moves to force parents to vaccinate their children or register for an exemption to enrol them for childcare.
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Immunisation coverage in Australia is 94 per cent for measles and 92 per cent for diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio and Hib. This puts it behind countries such as Bangladesh, which has comparable coverage rates of between 96 and 99 per cent, Eritrea, with 99 per cent, and Rwanda, which has rates between 93 and 98 per cent.

While vaccination for measles is higher than the global average of 85 per cent, it is below the east Asia-Pacific average of 95 per cent.

David Durrheim, professor of public health medicine at the University of Newcastle, said Australians are taking widespread immunity for granted.

``Because we are rarely confronted with the horror of these diseases, our community may be becoming complacent,`` he said.

``This is dangerous as, unless high levels of vaccination are continually maintained, susceptible children will be placed at the risk of preventable disease and deaths.``

Despite strong medical and scientific support for vaccination, Zetland mother Rebecca Bowring chose not to have her children Saffron, eight, and Quincy, five, immunised. ``The risks of adverse effects in my situation - reasonably well off, living in the city, with access to services - outweighed the benefits,`` she said.

Ms Bowring, who has a background in biochemistry, does not judge parents who choose to immunise. ``I have no problem with people vaccinating their children; I have no problem with people not vaccinating their children,`` she said. ``I take responsibility if my children get chicken pox. If my children died of measles I would have to wear that as well.``

Concord mother Linda Anderson was swayed by the weight of scientific evidence when deciding to have her children Hannah, four, Maddison, two, and Zoe, nine months, immunised.

``I never questioned immunising my children,`` Ms Anderson, who runs an online directory of child-friendly businesses, said.

``It`s not that long ago that the kind of things we can immunise against were making large numbers of children very, very ill or killing them.``

The report reveals Australian children to be among the healthiest in the world, with a comparably low child mortality rate and increasing life expectancy, which rose from 71 years in 1970 to 82 in 2011.

UNICEF`s senior adviser on children with disabilities, Rosangela Berman-Bieler, said Australia is active in promoting the rights of children with disabilities around the world. ``In general Australia is one of the most vocal and supportive countries nowadays talking about international co-operation and disabilities,`` she said.