Date: 02/10/2006
Source: Department of Health
Title: Jajula on behalf of M Tshabalala-Msimang: National Polio Campaign
A speech by the Minister of Health on 2 October 2006 National Polio Campaign and Reach Every District (RED) strategy in the Eastern Cape province
Delivered by Eastern Cape MEC Jajula on behalf of the Minister
Ladies and gentlemen, Minister of Education (Ms Pandor), Premier of Eastern Cape (Ms Balindlela), Health Superintendent General (Mr Boya), Health professionals, community members and friends; thank you for coming here today, to join us on this important occasion.
Today we are here to launch the national Polio campaign, Reach Every District (RED) Strategy and Immunisation Awareness, spearheaded by schools. We want polio to be eradicated, to be a disease of the past. No South African child should be affected by Polio or any childhood vaccine preventable disease. All children should receive their immunisation on time and complete the immunisation schedule.
Polio eradication is a global effort, which requires all countries, big and small, to focus their efforts to attain this goal by the year 2008. We need commitment from the public and private health sectors, the media and communities. We encourage parents, caregivers and communities to continue supporting the immunisation programme. Our country puts the needs of children first, thus our children should not be deprived of immunisation.
This year our neighbour Namibia experienced an outbreak of Polio after being Polio free for more than ten years. This put us on high alert that as long as there is a case of wild poliovirus in any part of the world, all children are at high risk. The virus does not respect boundaries.
The Department of Health has set strategies to ensure that children are protected from the wild poliovirus. An emergency Polio campaign was conducted in four districts at high risk in July 2006. Nationwide from 8 - 14 October 2006, all children from 0 to under 5 years, irrespective of their immunisation status would be immunised against polio. Again next year in May and June children less than 5 years will be immunised against Polio and Measles. Children under 5 years are targeted because they are at high risk. No child should be missed by these campaigns. All parents, care-givers and community members have a duty to make sure that children are taken to receive immunisation during mass campaigns.
To reach every child in the country, the Reach Every District (RED) strategy was introduced to help improve childhood immunisation services, and to guarantee sustainable and equitable high quality immunisation services.
Today we want to say to all South Africans, "Not a single child, no matter how poor, how remote, must be crippled by polio. Our country cannot afford to have children crippled or killed by Polio when there is an effective and safe vaccine, which is readily available."
It was through immunisation that smallpox; one of the most disfiguring diseases was eradicated. The whole world is now free from smallpox. In the same way, immunisation will set the world free of polio.
I would like to express our sincere gratitude and salute the Dream and Do (DaD) Leaders, and Stanford Lake College students who support the immunisation awareness campaign. The team has been committed in conducting community edu-tainment from 2003.
Our country puts the needs of children first, thus our children should not be deprived of immunisation. In this country, immunisation is sustained and linked with the Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses (IMCI) Programme. This country builds a strong and uniform approach in providing our children with the best health care available.
A child that is not immunised is at risk of suffering from polio and measles and is also a danger to other children. No child should be deprived of immunisation without serious thought of the consequences, both for the child and the community.
This country must continue to demonstrate our commitment to ending polio and measles forever. It is the future of every South African child that counts. Today I want to say to all the parents, to all child minders, to all caregivers and health care workers that, "Our children are the future and have the right to be healthy and free of childhood vaccine preventable diseases."
We all need to remember that there is no cure for polio but polio can be prevented. A polio victim is crippled for life. Similarly measles can cause a number of complications, blindness from measles cannot be reversed, and measles can kill. Yet measles can be prevented. Both conditions can be prevented through vaccines available free of charge at public health facilities.
Polio can easily return to South Africa if our children are not fully protected through immunisation. We therefore need to join hands with other countries to ensure that these dreadful crippling diseases are eradicated and eliminated worldwide.
Once the wild poliovirus is eradicated, no child will ever again lose the ability to walk because of polio. Future generations of children can grow up without the risk of polio. We owe it to the present and future generations to eradicate polio.
Together and united we can do away with Polio and Measles. Measles and Polio will soon be diseases of the past, only if we immunise our children, only if we support efforts like the immunisation campaign.
In closing, I would like to express our sincere gratitude and salute our partners in this national and global effort.
Our sincere thanks go to:
The Premier, MEC and Superintendent Director General of Eastern Cape and your dedicated staff, World Health Organisation (WHO), United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), ROTARY, Sanofi Pasteur South Africa, Biovac, South African National Defence Force (SANDF), members of the Polio Eradication Committee, the National Certification Committee, the Polio Expert Committee, and the National Laboratory Containment Committee.
Further to this, our special gratitude is extended to the staff and students of the Stanford Lake College in their dedication to the cause of Polio eradication. Their drive to raise public awareness around childhood imunisation is highly appreciated.
I say to all of you who have made this day a success, and all of you who will participate in the coming immunisation campaigns, all of you who have contributed somehow to ensure that every South African child is protected from polio and measles, "Your contributions are forever praised and highly appreciated."
Last but by no means the least, "To the Premier, MEC and SDG for Eastern Cape and the Organising Committee, I want to thank you for organising and hosting this important day."
Thank you
Issued by: Department of Health
2 October 2006
Source: Department of Health
Title: Jajula on behalf of M Tshabalala-Msimang: National Polio Campaign
A speech by the Minister of Health on 2 October 2006 National Polio Campaign and Reach Every District (RED) strategy in the Eastern Cape province
Delivered by Eastern Cape MEC Jajula on behalf of the Minister
Ladies and gentlemen, Minister of Education (Ms Pandor), Premier of Eastern Cape (Ms Balindlela), Health Superintendent General (Mr Boya), Health professionals, community members and friends; thank you for coming here today, to join us on this important occasion.
Today we are here to launch the national Polio campaign, Reach Every District (RED) Strategy and Immunisation Awareness, spearheaded by schools. We want polio to be eradicated, to be a disease of the past. No South African child should be affected by Polio or any childhood vaccine preventable disease. All children should receive their immunisation on time and complete the immunisation schedule.
Polio eradication is a global effort, which requires all countries, big and small, to focus their efforts to attain this goal by the year 2008. We need commitment from the public and private health sectors, the media and communities. We encourage parents, caregivers and communities to continue supporting the immunisation programme. Our country puts the needs of children first, thus our children should not be deprived of immunisation.
This year our neighbour Namibia experienced an outbreak of Polio after being Polio free for more than ten years. This put us on high alert that as long as there is a case of wild poliovirus in any part of the world, all children are at high risk. The virus does not respect boundaries.
The Department of Health has set strategies to ensure that children are protected from the wild poliovirus. An emergency Polio campaign was conducted in four districts at high risk in July 2006. Nationwide from 8 - 14 October 2006, all children from 0 to under 5 years, irrespective of their immunisation status would be immunised against polio. Again next year in May and June children less than 5 years will be immunised against Polio and Measles. Children under 5 years are targeted because they are at high risk. No child should be missed by these campaigns. All parents, care-givers and community members have a duty to make sure that children are taken to receive immunisation during mass campaigns.
To reach every child in the country, the Reach Every District (RED) strategy was introduced to help improve childhood immunisation services, and to guarantee sustainable and equitable high quality immunisation services.
Today we want to say to all South Africans, "Not a single child, no matter how poor, how remote, must be crippled by polio. Our country cannot afford to have children crippled or killed by Polio when there is an effective and safe vaccine, which is readily available."
It was through immunisation that smallpox; one of the most disfiguring diseases was eradicated. The whole world is now free from smallpox. In the same way, immunisation will set the world free of polio.
I would like to express our sincere gratitude and salute the Dream and Do (DaD) Leaders, and Stanford Lake College students who support the immunisation awareness campaign. The team has been committed in conducting community edu-tainment from 2003.
Our country puts the needs of children first, thus our children should not be deprived of immunisation. In this country, immunisation is sustained and linked with the Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses (IMCI) Programme. This country builds a strong and uniform approach in providing our children with the best health care available.
A child that is not immunised is at risk of suffering from polio and measles and is also a danger to other children. No child should be deprived of immunisation without serious thought of the consequences, both for the child and the community.
This country must continue to demonstrate our commitment to ending polio and measles forever. It is the future of every South African child that counts. Today I want to say to all the parents, to all child minders, to all caregivers and health care workers that, "Our children are the future and have the right to be healthy and free of childhood vaccine preventable diseases."
We all need to remember that there is no cure for polio but polio can be prevented. A polio victim is crippled for life. Similarly measles can cause a number of complications, blindness from measles cannot be reversed, and measles can kill. Yet measles can be prevented. Both conditions can be prevented through vaccines available free of charge at public health facilities.
Polio can easily return to South Africa if our children are not fully protected through immunisation. We therefore need to join hands with other countries to ensure that these dreadful crippling diseases are eradicated and eliminated worldwide.
Once the wild poliovirus is eradicated, no child will ever again lose the ability to walk because of polio. Future generations of children can grow up without the risk of polio. We owe it to the present and future generations to eradicate polio.
Together and united we can do away with Polio and Measles. Measles and Polio will soon be diseases of the past, only if we immunise our children, only if we support efforts like the immunisation campaign.
In closing, I would like to express our sincere gratitude and salute our partners in this national and global effort.
Our sincere thanks go to:
The Premier, MEC and Superintendent Director General of Eastern Cape and your dedicated staff, World Health Organisation (WHO), United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), ROTARY, Sanofi Pasteur South Africa, Biovac, South African National Defence Force (SANDF), members of the Polio Eradication Committee, the National Certification Committee, the Polio Expert Committee, and the National Laboratory Containment Committee.
Further to this, our special gratitude is extended to the staff and students of the Stanford Lake College in their dedication to the cause of Polio eradication. Their drive to raise public awareness around childhood imunisation is highly appreciated.
I say to all of you who have made this day a success, and all of you who will participate in the coming immunisation campaigns, all of you who have contributed somehow to ensure that every South African child is protected from polio and measles, "Your contributions are forever praised and highly appreciated."
Last but by no means the least, "To the Premier, MEC and SDG for Eastern Cape and the Organising Committee, I want to thank you for organising and hosting this important day."
Thank you
Issued by: Department of Health
2 October 2006
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