BuaNews (Tshwane)
Lesego Madumo
4 August 2008
Johannesburg — Polio and measles inoculations, among other vaccinations, will be offered to children under the age of 12 during immunisation awareness week.
The City of Johannesburg's Department of Health will run the week-long campaign, which kicked off on Sunday.
The nationwide campaign coincides with Child Health Week, from 6 to 12 August, reports Joburg.org.
Throughout the week, clinics across the metro will be fully geared to administer the necessary polio drops and measles vaccines; some primary health care nurses will also visit primary schools to administer the vaccines.
"The department would like to encourage mothers to get their children immunised against polio and measles, in order to help build up their child's defences against the diseases," said Nkosinathi Nkabinde, the communication's officer in the department.
Ms Nkabinde urges child minders and educators to ensure that the children in their care are fully inoculated against polio and measles to prevent outbreaks of these diseases.
"Immunisation has been demonstrated in research trials and efficacy measurements to be one of the most effective public health interventions available," reads the South African government information website.
"It is considered to be the cornerstone of public health care."
Each year, the government dedicates R80-million to vaccination measures for all children under 12; this helps to save many young lives.
According to the national government website, the incidence of measles has decreased substantially, from close to 22 000 cases and 53 reported deaths in 1992, to 37 laboratory confirmed cases and no deaths in 2000.
It attributes this to "a direct result of the measles elimination strategy".
However, by June this year, Ms Nkabinde said, only 88.5 percent of children in Joburg under a year old were recorded to be fully immunised, "placing the rest at risk of being exposed to a preventable childhood disease".
The national Department of Health has launched a revised immunisation schedule, with an additional dose of vaccine that should be administered to all children under 12.
"Very few children in this age category have received the additional dose according to the statistics collected from clinics," Ms Nkabinde said.
The South African Health Department is governed by the recommendations of the World Health Organisation, which recently changed its immunisation schedule.
This means that infants should be routinely vaccinated against tuberculosis, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, poliomyelitis, measles, and Haemophilus influenza type B (Hib) and hepatitis B, all of which can cause serious complications and even death.
A new immunisation schedule will be followed during the awareness week.
Infants of six weeks old will receive polio, diphtheria and tetanus vaccines while infants between 10 and 14 weeks old will get polio, Haemophilus influenza and hepatitis B vaccines.
Babies of nine months will be vaccinated against measles while Toddlers of 18 months will receive polio, DTP and measles vaccines.
Children who are between six and 12 years old will be immunised against polio, diphtheria and tetanus.
"Persons seeking more information should contact their nearest clinic or health department, or call the City of Johannesburg's call centre on (011) 375-5555," said Ms Nkabinde.
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