Remember: Immunise your children
TODAY most children are journeying back to school, and one of the key necessities is ensuring that your child is properly immunised against serious diseases.
Immunisation is a process by which an individual is protected from contracting a disease, and this is done by a series of vaccines which can be taken orally or injected into the body.
Importantly, under the Public Health Act of 1974 and the Immunisation Regulations of 1986 (amended in 2013), all children under the age of seven must be immunised before entry into school to include day care centres, nurseries, and early childhood and primary schools.
Parents of children in secondary schools should verify whether their children have received all their vaccines. Children who have not received all of their vaccines should be taken to the Government health centres or their private medical practitioners to be immunised before re-entering schools.
Of note, no child will be allowed in school unless he or she is immunised against tuberculosis (TB), diphtheria, tetanus (lock jaw), poliomyelitis, mumps, measles, rubella (German measles), pertussis (whooping cough), haemophilus influenza B and hepatitis B.
Remember, The Public Health Act also stipulates that persons authorised to admit children to schools should not admit any child without his or her immunisation card. If the child is already admitted, he/she should not be permitted to continue, unless the parents produce the document.
Therefore, ensure your children’s immunisation records are up to date.
