DR Sonia Chambers, senior medical officer in the Ministry of Health, has urged parents to take a more serious approach to immunising their children to prevent them from contracting viruses and diseases which could be detrimental to their health.

“Parents need to be more proactive in following up the immunisation of their children,” Dr Chambers said while addressing a group at a Child’s Month Health Fair hosted recently by the Culture, Health Arts Sports and Education (CHASE) Fund at the Grants Pen Peace Park in St Andrew.

Over 52 children from in and around the Grants Pen area were screened and received free immunisations.

According to Dr Chambers, children are susceptible to all kinds of diseases in their vulnerable years (from birth to six years). She listed viruses which causes mumps, measles, rubella (German Measles), whooping cough, Hepatitis B among those which can affect children who are not immunised.

She noted that cases such as polio had disappeared because of the protection of immunisation, but warned that these could reappear if parents do not follow up with the requirements for immunising their children at the different stages of their development.

Dr Chambers noted that a number of parents were still not aware that their children will not be accepted into day-care or basic schools unless they are immunised.

“This is when you see them scampering to get their children immunised when they are turned back from the schools without the relevant documents showing that they have followed through with this responsibility,” Dr Chambers said. “The child’s immunisation card recording the procedure is his/her health passport and should be kept in a safe place to be presented when necessary.”

She said there was also a high level of delinquency among parents who, after taking their children for the first immunisation, do not follow through with the second and other doses as instructed.

During the health fair pamphlets on immunisation were distributed indicating the symptoms of viruses such as measles – which results in fever, runny nose, red, itchy eyes, cough, rashes as well as ear and lung infections.

Mothers were also cautioned to immunise themselves during pregnancy to prevent rubella , a virus which could be passed on to their unborn child, causing them to be either born deaf, blind or with heart problems or retardation.

“Education and health are two key components in the development of a child’s life,” said W Billy Heaven, chief executive officer of the CHASE Fund. “Our agenda is to support these two areas for the improvement of the quality of life for our children so that they will become productive citizens.”

The CHASE Fund was established by Government under the Betting, Gaming and Lotteries Act and is entrusted with a mandate for social development funded through proceeds from the operations of the gaming industry. The companies are required, under the terms of their licences, to contribute a percentage of earnings to the fund to support particular aspects of Jamaican life in the areas of culture, health, arts, sports and early childhood education.