Immunisation Awareness Day a success
KwaThema – The Tembelisha Clinic of Ward 80 hosted an Immunisation Awareness Day for parents on Monday.
The purpose of the initiative was to educate parents on the importance of immunisation and how this can help protect their children from illness.
Present to join the clinic staff and parents were traditional healers, ward councillor Wilson Busakwe, community workers and the Community Development Worker (CDW) of the ward.
Health promoter of the clinic, Ntombikayise Monaledi explained to the parents that immunisation is important to protect children from illness.
Read: What to know about school admissions and immunisations
She therefore encouraged parents and guardians to ensure that if they are unable to take the child to the clinic on the allocated date, they should ask someone they trust to accompany to their child.
Sr Dineo Ndimande, Expanded Programme on Immunisation coordinator said: “A major problem we encounter is that parents don’t bring their children for immunisation.
“This then causes the child to become exposed to illnesses, which can lead to death or disability, e.g. measles, polio and meningitis.
“There are also many other illnesses which are contagious which can harm children, which is why they need to get the proper and prescribed medication before it is too late.
Read: Vaccinate your child
“Some of these illnesses have severe effects and can’t be cured when discovered late, so love them, immunise them,” she encouraged.
She added that the immunisation campaign which was previously postponed for children from birth to five years old, will now run from October 31 to November 18.
Clr Busakwe thanked the staff for inviting him so he could introduce himself.
“I am here to serve you and as a result will be moving from the KwaThema Customer Care Centre office to an office at the Bulithando Park to be closer to you,” he said.
CDW Nurse Majwede also explained her role in the community and how they bind all departments to assist community with various issues.
“Our role is to help the community as a whole as ward councillors cannot do everything alone.
“If you have issues of grants, orphans, IDs and certificates and housing issues, among other things, we will try to help you or find people who can.
“For people who wish to enter this line of work, forms are available at local offices,” she said.
Majwede also spoke on the importance of parents keeping to the clinic dates given for their children.
She said this not only helps in protecting the children, but assists the clinic in managing how many people go there daily as there are many people in the community.
