South Africa: Vaccinate Your Children to Prevent Diseases

What the report says

Gauteng Health MEC Faith Mazibuko has urged parents and caregivers in South Africa to make sure children receive routine immunisations on schedule, after outreach visits by health teams found many children under five had missed vaccines. The warning, reported by SAnews.gov.za and distributed by AllAfrica, says missed doses can leave children exposed to preventable diseases with serious and sometimes lasting effects.

The provincial health department said immunisation coverage in Gauteng during the first quarter of the 2026/27 financial year remained below target. It cited 72% coverage for children under one year old and 70.7% for the second dose of the measles-rubella vaccine at age one. Among the province’s five health districts, West Rand performed best, while Tshwane lagged behind and Sedibeng also remained below stronger-performing areas.

Mazibuko said parents should bring children who have missed vaccinations to nearby clinics for catch-up immunisation without delay. The department also encouraged families to use the Road to Health Booklet to track vaccinations, growth and other child health checks. In addition, children aged six months to five years were advised to visit healthcare facilities every six months for vitamin A supplementation and deworming.

The broader public health concern is that lower vaccination uptake can increase the risk of outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases. The report frames vaccination as a key preventive measure and notes that healthcare workers can help even when a child’s booklet has been lost.