2012-04-23: The African Vaccination Week 23 - 28 April 2012
SINCE the whole of Africa will be commemorating the Vaccination Week from 23 - 28 April 2012, the City of Johannesburg Health and Social Development
Department call on all parents to ensure that their children have received all the routine vaccines which is administered free of charge at all the clinics
in the City.
The week will be observed under theme: "An unimmunized child is one too many. Give polio the final push". Parents should note that the immunisation
schedule has changed in the last three years and that all children aged 12 years should receive their last dose of Tetanus and Diphtheria.
Since 01 February 2012 Health workers have been visiting places of care to vaccinate children between the ages of 18 months to 35 months with PCV 13. This
is a new vaccine that has been introduced into the childhood immunization programme to replace the previous PCV 7.
The vaccine provides protection against 13 types of pneumococcal bacteria which causes ear infections, meningitis (infections of the lining of the brain),
and pneumonia (infection of the lungs).
This drive is ending on 31 May 2012, parents and caregivers are urged to take their children to the health facilities to get their vaccines free of charge.
Since the start of the campaign 62% of the children in the target group (32 972) children have been vaccinated within the City of Johannesburg.
The City of Johannesburg Health and Social Development Department urge parents to ensure that they have received the new vaccine schedule. Parents who have
got children in crèches that are still to be visited are urged to sign the consent for their children to be vaccinated as no child will be vaccinated at the
crèche without the parent’s consent.
Immunization is one of the most successful and cost-effective health interventions and prevents between two and three million deaths every year. From
infants to senior citizens, immunization prevents debilitating illness, disability and death from vaccine-preventable diseases such as diphtheria, hepatitis
B, measles, pneumococcal disease, polio, rotavirus diarrhoea and tetanus.
Due to gaps in vaccination coverage, diseases like Pertussis, measles and polio are making a comeback. Disease outbreaks affect everyone.
It is never too late to be immunised and catch-up vaccination is offered to all children who are not up to date with the immunisation schedule. For more
information please contact your nearest clinic or the City of Johannesburg Health and Social Development Department at 011 407-6845/29
For more information contact:
Nkosinathi Nkabinde
Communication Specialist
City of Johannesburg Public Liaison Department
Tel: (011) 407 - 6477
Cell: 083 408 7787
E-mail: nkosinathin@joburg.org.za
