Mbabane: The Ministry of Health has embarked on measles and rubella vaccination campaign for children from six months to five years which is set to start from today June 7 – 14, 2021.
Led by the Ministry of Health with support from World Health Organization (WHO), and other partners, the campaign aims to reach vulnerable children from six months to five years.
The ministry of health said they were urging parents to bring children for vaccination to their nearest clinics.
The vaccination campaign will be seven days, Immunisation campaign programme Manager Colisile Dlamini told the Eswatini Observer that the vaccinations will be conducted in all government hospitals, clinics, mobile sites, pre-schools, national care points, Gogo Centres as well as churches, with full observance of covid-19 prevention protocols.
According to the ministry of health, the government is working hard to eliminate the disease therefore the vaccination will be free of charge. What is expected for parents is to bring their children. Dlamini emphasized that parents must bring their children even if they had been vaccinated in recent days.
Worth noting is that even children who do not have cards will also get vaccinated. Dlamini encouraged mothers to bring their children despite not having cards and promised that they will be vaccinated in the clinics.
Dlamini these are deadly diseases and encouraged parents to bring children. When not vaccinated the diseases can lead to the death of a child.
Rubella is spread by direct contact with nasal or throat secretions of infected individuals. Rubella can also be transmitted by breathing in droplets that are sprayed into the air when an infected person sneezes, coughs, or talks.
Signs of sickness in children include red blotchy rash over the whole body, fever, sometimes with a runny nose, red eyes, or cough.
Information sourced from the World Health Organisation states that Measles is a severe disease with fever and rash. Rubella is a similar but milder disease. Measles and Rubella vaccine is safe for all children and offers protection against the two diseases. All eligible children will be vaccinated irrespective of their previous immunization history. After receiving the vaccine, a small number of people may develop a mild fever.
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