Let’s talk IMMUNISATION

WISE PARENTS recognise that immunisation is actually an insurance against serious diseases. Indeed, it is mandatory that students are adequately or fully immunised before entering any school.

WHAT IS IMMUNISATION?

Immunisation is the process by which an individual is protected from acquiring a disease.

When someone is immunised, he or she is given a series of vaccines which can be taken by mouth (orally) or injected. These vaccines help the body to fight diseases.

Under the Public Health Act of 1974 and the Immunization Regulations of 1986, all children under the age of seven must be immunised before entry into school. These include day care, nursery and other early-childhood and primary schools. Parents of children in secondary schools should verify if 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.

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.

Any parent, guardian, health worker, principal or operator of a school who fails to comply with the law is guilty of an offence, and can be charged a fine of $500 for every child that is not adequately or fully immunised, or be imprisoned for a term not exceeding 30 days. No child will be allowed in school unless he or she is immunised against:

• Tuberculosis (TB)

• Diphtheria

• Tetanus (lockjaw)

• Poliomyelitis

• Mumps

• Measles

• Rubella (German measles)

• Pertussis (whooping cough)

• Haemophilus Influenza B

• Hepatitis B