Province pilots huge drive to curb child deaths

Meningitis and pneumonia targeted

THOUSANDS of Western Cape children are to be inoculated in the next three months in a drive to curb potentially fatal childhood diseases such as pneumonia and meningitis.

The provincial Department of Health has embarked on a campaign to vaccinate high risk children under the age of six years.

Faiza Steyn, spokeswoman for the department, said this was part of efforts to reduce child mortality.

It was hoped that nearly 200 000 children would be inoculated by the end of April.

The department has allocated at least 180 240 doses of the pneumococcal vaccine, Prevenar, otherwise known as PVC, as part of the vaccination drive.

This vaccine, which was added to the national immunisation programme in 2009, prevents bacterial diseases such as pneumonia and meningitis.

Pneumonia is responsible for at least 20 percent of deaths in the country among children under the age of five. This translated to about 40 deaths a day.

At the Red Cross Children’s Hospital, more than 1 700 of the pneumonia cases in 2008 involved children younger than 12 months and 700 involved children between one and five.

“PCV provides protection not only for the targeted children but through reducing carriage of the bacterium in the blood. It also protects many others who are not vaccinated, like the elderly, adults with cardiac and immunecompromising conditions and the HIV infected,” said Steyn.

Normally children receive this vaccination at their routine clinic visits at six and 14 weeks and again at nine months.

“The booster dose will be administered to all children between 18 months and three years. High-risk children under the age of six years, will receive two doses, eight weeks apart. High risk children include those who are living with HIV or who have illnesses such as heart and kidney failure,” she said.

The Cape Metro would receive the biggest batch of the vaccine, with almost 115 000 of the doses to be allocated to the region. Another area that was considered a high risk area was the Cape Winelands, which had been allocated almost 24 000 doses.

This is followed by Eden at more than 23 000 doses, then Overberg, West Coast and Karoo.

To ensure the best possible coverage and to assist working parents, Steyn said mobile teams would be visiting crèches and day care centres throughout the province between February and April. These centres would receive a permission slip for parents to complete.

She urged parents to sign the forms at crèches to allow the smooth running of the inoculation process.

“Should the form not be completed, it will be the parents’ responsibility to take the child to their nearest clinic and ensure vaccination. Parents whose children do not attend a crèche should take their children to their local clinic, where child health services are rendered,” she said.

The more advanced Prevnar 13 would be administered throughout the campaign, protecting children against 13 strains of meningitis, pneumonia and bacteraemia, as opposed to previously used Prevnar 7, which protected against fewer strains.

Children who are considered at risk include those living with HIV, diabetes, heart disease and those receiving immunosuppressive drugs or radiation therapy.

Children under the age of 18 months have already been administered the new vaccine.