Vaccinate your child – pediatric nurse
Meningitis is a disease caused by the inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, known as the meninges.
Parents of toddlers starting nursery school should make sure their children’s vaccinations are up to date.
Bedfordview-based paediatric nurse, Sister (Sr) Marion Wing said parents should not take chances.
She said there were cases of meningitis reported in 2015 already.
“There was a baby who spent time in ICU after contracting meningitis from a day care centre. This is why we need parents to take this seriously,” said Sr Wing.
A mother of two who did not want to be named told the NEWS that when she dropped off her 11-month-old daughter at a daycare, she was saying goodbye for the last time.
“My daughter looked fine to me. I didn’t suspect she could have been ill. However, at midday I received a call from the daycare saying my child was unresponsive. She had died, of meningitis. I can never explain the emotions and pain I went through. I just can’t,” said the mother.
Meningitis is a disease caused by the inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, known as the meninges.
Symptoms include intense headache and fever, sensitivity to light and muscular rigidity.
Sr Wing said parents should guard against myths about vaccines as these can be misleading.
“Vaccination is crucial in the protection against diseases such meningitis. Prevention is better than cure and with meningitis of this kind, vaccination can prevent unnecessary and untimely death,” said Sr Wing.
Sr Wing has two daughters, Jessica (26) and Jenna (23), and lives in Kensington.
She has over 35 years’ nursing experience. “After working at the then Johannesburg Hospital (now Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital) for 21 years, I decided to move on and join a colleague at her baby clinic where I worked with mothers and their babies. This was, and still is, my passion 15 years later,” said Sr Wing.
She now runs a baby clinic in Bedfordview.
She said she is always happy to assist and support mothers.
“Many [new] parents do not have strong support systems and have no choice but to earn a living. Balancing parenting, work and being a spouse is not easy. Where I can, I hope to alleviate some stress by being supportive and offering advice and encouragement. Being a mother myself has taught me a multitude of things, like compassion and respect for all new mothers who are doing their best for their family unit. They brighten my day and I love to watch the growth and development of the babies; they are all so different and special in every way. It is never a chore for me, in fact it is a blessing,” said Sr Wing.
