WHO Wants Children Immunised At School

By Charles Wendo CHILDREN entering school should be screened to identify those who are not immunised, the World Health Organisation (WHO) representative, Dr. Oladapo Walker, has suggested.Walker said children who do not have immunisation cards should not be denied education, but should receive the jabs as they begin schooling.Speaking to The New Vision from his Kampala office, Walker said the Universal Primary Education provides a good opportunity to protect the large number of children who miss immunisations during their babyhood.Figures from the Ministry of Health indicate that only 61% of children in Uganda receive immunisation against the six killer diseases. The vaccines are free and available in health centres countrywide.Walker said children miss immunisations mainly due to laziness and wrong attitudes of their parents.But children of school-going age can still be protected if immunised as they enrol for school. “Once they come to school, let us not stop them. Let them sit in class and then at break time, we jab them,” he said.The state minister for primary health care, Dr. Beatrice Wabudeya, told The New Vision in a separate interview that Walker’s proposal was applicable and health workers should explore ways of immunising the children.“We have talked about it but we haven’t put it into action. It is important that parents keep immunisation cards,” she said, adding, “It would be better if each time a parent takes a child to a health centre she carries the immunisation card.”Ends