The Gauteng department of health has urged parents to take full responsibility for their children’s health, saying there has been a noticeable decline in the number of young children receiving their routine vaccinations.
The department was commenting on data drawn from African Vaccination Week, an annual initiative observed from April 24-30 to drive immunisation programmes across the continent.
Here are five things the health department says you need to know:
- A total of 191,705 children under one year old were vaccinated, 75.3% of coverage. The percentage is well down from 213,389 children [83%] who were vaccinated in 2024/25. This drop signals a reversal in progress made in recent years to strengthen routine immunisation.
- Lower vaccination rates increase children’s vulnerability to vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles and polio which can lead to severe illness, long-term complications and death. The concern is not only with regard to individual risks but also the possibility of outbreaks in communities with low coverage.
- The decline in vaccinations is partly attributed to caregivers not taking their children for routine immunisation, and a failure to sign consent forms for school-based vaccination programmes.
- The department is expanding community-based awareness campaigns across all districts. Health workers will also strengthen outreach at Early Childhood Development centres with a focus on zero-dose children.
- Parents are being urged to bring children who have missed their doses to clinics for catch-up vaccinations, with officials stressing that immunisation only works when all scheduled doses are completed on time.
Koena Mashale
www.sowetan.co.za
