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Key practice: Immunization
Protect your child, immunize now
Take children 5 times before their first birthday to complete a full course of immunisation (BCG, DPT, OPV/IPV, PCV, Rota, Pneumonia, and Measles).
Take adolescent girls to receive the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine against cancer of the cervix at the age of 10.
Pregnant women and women of child bearing age should be immunized against tetanus.
Why is immunization important?
From birth, a child should be immunized with vaccines, which are either injected into the body or given orally.
- Immunisation helps protect the child against infectious diseases that can cause illness or death. These include: Tuberculosis, Diphtheria, Whooping cough, Tetanus, Polio, Hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenza, Pneumonia, Measles and Rotavirus. These diseases are caused by germs, which attack the body and most of them can be spread from one infected person to the other.
- At nine months, Vitamins A is given to the child to ensure they develop strong immunity against all diseases.
- All pregnant women and their newborns need to be protected against tetanus. Even if a woman was immunized earlier, she needs to check with a trained health worker for advice on tetanus toxoid immunization.
Immunization schedule for children under one year
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Learn more about immunization and its benefits
Here are the benefits of immunization
- It strengthens a child’s ability to fight diseases.
- It reduces the chances of children suffering from childhood immunisable diseases.
- It protects children from liver disease and cancer of the cervix in girls, in later years of their life.
- It prevents complications such as lameness and blindness in children.
- It reduces the burden/costs on parents/caregivers and communities in terms of time and money spent on treatment. This contributes to socio-economic development.
- It contributes to a child’s proper growth and development.
- It protects the entire community from childhood vaccine preventable diseases.
- It protects the mother and her unborn baby from Tetanus.
- Once a child is immunized, he/she is protected against vaccine preventable diseases for his/her entire life.
- Makes children healthy and strong to serve and fulfil their God given purpose.
Did you know?
A child who is not immunized is more likely to become sick, permanently disabled e.g. lameness and blindness or malnourished, and could possibly die.
Immunization is urgent. Every child should complete the recommended series of immunizations. Early protection is critical; the immunizations in the first year and into the second year are especially important. All parents or other caregivers should follow the advice of a trained health worker on when to complete the required immunizations.