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Vaccinate and help your family stay healthy

Be informed that vaccines don’t just fight off an infection, they break a chain of infections.

Did you know that Vaccinations are lifesaving and completely supported by the Peadiatricians and Health Care providers at Fourways Life Hospital? We believe in health promotion and disease prevention to ensure our community’s well-being.

Vaccinations are amazing.  As a Paediatrician, it’s been wonderful to witness the developments in vaccines and see the decline in preventable illnesses such as rotavirus, pneumococcal and haemophilus infection rates and even chicken pox with the help of targeted vaccines.

Unfortunately, ever so often, our intensive care unit is quarantined with a severely ill, vulnerable baby, admitted with a vaccine preventable illness. The devastating consequences of vaccine preventable conditions are a painful burden for parents and families.

Have you ever wondered who we are protecting when we vaccinate? This is a deceptively simple question, because vaccines don’t just fight off an infection, they break a chain of infections. People who are vaccinated are not only protecting themselves, they are indirectly protecting the people in this community who are not vaccinated. Even the most well-inoculated communities will have a vulnerable minority — the young, the old and the sick — whose immune systems cannot withstand the dose of weakened virus in a vaccine. Their first and only line of defence is other, vaccinated people, who when in the majority “create a kind of protective shield which prevents them from coming in contact with the disease,”

Vaccination is a community responsibility. We have a responsibility to protect those who are unable to protect themselves through “Herd Immunity”.

Unfortunately in my consulting rooms, I ever so often encounter distraught parents who fear vaccines and are confused by conflicting information. I find it necessary to address these concerns and build awareness. Vaccination research and development is scientific and evidence based. Numerous studies have disproved any association with vaccines and autism.

It is important to discuss your concerns with your health care provider. Before any vaccinations are administered, our nursing staff will thoroughly explain the vaccine to you, the diseases it protects against, as well as the possible side effects to be aware of. These side effects are generally minor and may include a slight fever and some discomfort. Such side effects are normal, as the body develops an immune response to the illness.

Vaccines are Life Saving, they protect you, your family, your community and especially those who are most vulnerable and unable to protect themselves. Vaccinate.

Life Fourways hospital Paediatricians

Dr Natasha Padayachee-Govender         011 875 1854

Dr Dewald Buitendag                              011 875 1666

Dr Ashraf Ahmed                                     011 875 1854

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