Ekurhuleni embarks on children immunisation catch-up drive
Ekurhuleni health district has embarked on a child health interventions catch-up drive. The drive started on December 1 and will continue until March 31.
“The catch-up drive is being conducted nationwide in all districts. A focus on improving the delivery of catch-up activities will continue routinely in all districts after the intensification periods have ended,” said Ekurhuleni health district communications officer Mampe Marapyane.
She said the unprecedented spread of the Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted the provision of routine immunisation services and worsened existing sub-optimal immunisation coverage rates in South Africa.
According to the Department of Health, many districts showed a decline in immunisation coverage during the surge of the Covid-19 pandemic combined with the lockdown.
“This disruption of routine immunisation services could worsen the longstanding challenges in immunisation coverage and could result in secondary outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases,” said Marapyane.
Marapyane said there are four aims of the catch-up drive:
• They want to intensify routine immunisation services. Ensure that all children eligible for vaccination continue to be reached by intensifying routine services.
• Catch up on missed vaccinations. Provide all vaccine antigens to children who missed eligible doses to ensure that communities remain protected from VPD diseases outbreaks.
• Strengthening catch up on an ongoing basis.
• Use immunisation activities as a platform for providing other child-health services.
“Recognising that children who missed immunisation services are highly likely to also have missed other essential child-health services, the catch-up drive will provide additional services for all eligible children. These will include Vitamin A supplementation, deworming, growth monitoring and HIV services,” said Marapyane.
The targeted population for the catch-up drive is all children under the age of five in the priority districts. They will receive doses missed, according to the EPI-SA catch-up schedule.
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The road to health booklet should be checked at all opportunities to ensure that children are up to date with their immunisations.
The following antigens will be targeted for administration, namely, BCG, PCV, RV, DTaP-IPV-HiB-HBV, OPV and measles.
Written consent is required for the immunisation of children at institutions such as crèches, preschools, children’s homes, and day care centres where parents or caregivers are not present during the immunisation.
At all other immunisation posts where parents, caregivers, or the head of the household bring the children for immunisation, written consent is not needed – consent is implied.
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