Use the schooling system to get young children healthy, Western Cape education MEC urges

With the academic programme in full swing after all schools opened last week, the Western Cape health department has urged parents and caregivers to kick-start the year on a healthy note by vaccinating their children to ensure their schooling is uninterrupted. 

Health MEC Nomafrench Mbombo said she was worried about a drop in some childhood vaccinations. She said parents should take advantage of the valuable opportunity to have their children immunised at school. 

To close the gaps in childhood vaccination, from February 6 until March 15, school health teams in the Western Cape department of health will be visiting public and special schools to administer the first dose of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine and the tetanus and diphtheria (Td-Diftavax) booster for free. 

The HPV vaccine is part of the integrated school health programme. Two HPV injections, given five to six months apart, are administered at state schools to grade 5 girls older than 10.

“The HPV vaccine is an effective way to protect young girls from the highest-risk HPV infections. That means they are much less likely to develop HPV-linked cancers. The vaccine is administered in school classrooms, making it simpler than ever to reduce your daughter’s risk of cancers caused by the virus,” said Sonia Botha, co-ordinator of the Western Cape’s expanded programme on immunisation. 

Dr Hilary Goeiman, director of service priorities co-ordination at the department, said that over the past few years there had been “a concerning drop in routine immunisation among children in the various categories, while the uptake of the tetanus and diphtheria (Td) vaccine at [the ages of six and 12] remains extremely low”.

Goeiman said owing to young children being prone to childhood diseases, school health teams worked with teachers, school governing bodies, parents and caregivers “to make schools a healthy environment”. 

“Where there is capacity, and with the necessary signed consent, health workers regularly assess a child’s eyesight, hearing, oral health, growth, and immunisation schedule. They also assess whether a child receives good nutrition and screen for conditions of the skin, lice, scabies, and physical and mental health.” 

Diarrhoea and pneumonia are other childhood health illnesses health teams are concerned about at this time of year, as summer is considered a breeding season for viruses and bacteria. 

As a result, in the medical sector, the period between November and May is known as “paediatric surge season”, in which diarrhoea and pneumonia coincide. 

“These conditions are the biggest health risks to young children, and yet they can be treated and are often preventable. We continue to appeal to parents and caregivers to take advantage of services available to keep their children healthy and safe,” said Delray Fourie, the health department’s deputy director for comprehensive health services. 

“Diarrhoea is a highly infectious virus that thrives in hot weather. Children who are malnourished, have impaired immunity, or have missed immunisations or Vitamin A supplementation are far more likely to contract diarrhoea and may develop complications [from it] if [they are] not treated.”