Health practitioners have observed an alarming trend with regard to parents missing their children’s immunisation appointments, while some lose the immunisation cards commonly known as the Road to Health cards.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), immunisation prevents deaths ranging from two to three million each year.
Thus the metro reiterates that every day is an immunisation day, and every child must be vaccinated according to the immunisation schedule.
“It is important to get your little ones protected from vaccine-preventable diseases, and the first step towards ensuring that is through vaccination.
“It doesn’t matter whether you lost the Road to Health card or missed the scheduled date, ultimately a child must be immunised,” said Sr Tembi Mahlangu, a manager of nursing services at Brackenhurst Clinic in Alberton.
Tembi further indicated that children need all the required vaccinations at the right time during their developmental stages.
Skipping a stage poses a threat to a child’s development, making them prone to vaccine-preventable diseases.
Vaccines stimulate the body’s immune system, which helps to prevent and protect children from serious illnesses, such as polio, hepatitis, measles, meningitis, diphtheria, pneumonia and other life-threatening illnesses that affect children as they grow.
Another important factor raised by health practitioners is that parents of schoolgoing children tend to forget that their children need to be immunised when they are six and 12 years old for the compulsory TD (tetanus and diphtheria) vaccination.
The human papillomavirus vaccination (HPV) received by Grade Eight schoolchildren helps to prevent cervical cancer in girls and reduces the risk of contracting viral infections that affect both girls and boys in lower body areas such as genital warts and reduces the risk of anal cancer.
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The vaccine is given by the school health nurses.
Help the metro grow its future leaders by ensuring its children are immunised.
Parents and guardians can bring their children to Ekurhuleni health facilities from Monday to Friday, from 8am to 4pm.
The metro also offers extended operating hours in selected health facilities to accommodate parents who cannot make it during weekdays.
Every day is an immunisation day and no child should be turned away from any health facility without being assisted.
Should parents or guardians experience any challenge related to immunisation at any of the facilities they should contact Sr Motshidisi Moleleki, manager of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation and Outbreak Response, on 011 999 2126.
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Contact the newsroom by emailing: Melissa Hart (Editor) germistoncitynews@caxton.co.za or Leigh Hodgson (News Editor) leighh@caxton.co.za.
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