IMMUNISATION SURVEYIMMUNISATION SURVEY
Many toddlers are falling through SA's vaccination net
One in 10 of Mpumalanga’s children under the age of two has not had any of the shots required under the government’s childhood immunisation programme, according to the South Africa Demographic Health Survey (DHMS) 2016 released on Monday by Statistics SA. The finding signals potentially deadly weaknesses in the childhood immunisation programme, as inadequate coverage of the population increases the likelihood of disease outbreaks. Both Gauteng and the Western Cape have had measles outbreaks this year. The DHMS 2016 found only half (53%) of SA’s children aged between 12 and 23 months had received all their vaccinations at the appropriate age. The immunisation gaps were greatest in Mpumalanga and Gauteng, where 10.4% and 6.6% of children in this age group had fallen through the net. Health Minister Aaron Motsolaedi said he would investigate why the vaccination programme was missing the mark in Mpumalanga, and try to increase the opportunities children to be vaccinated. "We need to cat...
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