Nurse Violet Brown
GIU – “Vaccinate your family, protect your community” is the theme for the 2011 Vaccination Week of Activities which runs April 23 to 30.
According to Violet Brown, Community Nursing Manager for the Ministry of Health, activities will begin with a worship service for staff at the Mongo Hill Seventh Day Adventist Church on Saturday, April 24. Members of the health staff will be assigned to the eye clinic on the 23rd and 24th, while the immunization programme at schools will begin on Tuesday, April 26. Students will be able to receive their booster shots for Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR), Diphtheria/Tetanus (DT) and Polio.
On Wednesday, there will be an Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) Workshop to discuss the Use of the new EPI Manual, Principles of Immunization and other related subjects at the Mental Health Conference Room.
An open day at the health centres will allow fishermen and farmers to receive their Tetanus and Diphtheria (Td) and MMR. Brown added that other special groups in the population will be targeted with the MMR, Td, Hepatitis B (HepB), Yellow Fever, and Influenza vaccines to ensure that their immunization status are up to date.
Miss Browne spoke especially about children to reporters: “We wish to promote sound health practice among the students we do early detection of any abnormalities which may lead to learning difficulties …we want to maintain good health through disease surveillance.”
Special hand outs will also be available at the local health centres with information on immunization and protecting your family.
