GAUTENG – Gauteng Health MEC Faith Mazibuko has issued an urgent call to parents and caregivers to ensure their children receive routine childhood immunisations, following a significant drop in provincial vaccination coverage that leaves young populations vulnerable to preventable diseases.
The directive follows recent community visits by the MEC and health teams, which identified a high number of children under the age of five who have missed scheduled vaccines. According to the provincial Health Department, immunisation coverage during the first quarter of the 2026/27 financial year remains below target. Current data shows only 72% coverage among children under one year of age, and 70.7% coverage for the second dose of the measles-rubella (MR) vaccine, which is administered at one year of age.
Performance varies significantly across Gauteng’s five health districts. The West Rand recorded the highest coverage, achieving 90.6% for children under one year and 86.3% for the second MR vaccine dose. Conversely, the Tshwane District remains the poorest-performing area, recording just 59.2% coverage for children under one year and 58.7% for the second MR dose. Sedibeng also faces notable challenges, recording 69.5% and 69.1% for the respective metrics.
MEC Faith Mazibuko emphasized that this decline directly heightens the risk of vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks, which can lead to severe illness, long-term complications, or death. She urged parents to bring children who have missed appointments to their nearest healthcare facility immediately for catch-up immunisations. Mazibuko reiterated that vaccination remains one of the most effective and proven public health interventions for preventing disease, disability, and mortality.
To support ongoing care, caregivers are advised to consistently utilize the Road to Health Booklet during every clinic visit. This document is essential for tracking immunisations, monitoring growth, nutrition, developmental milestones, and oral health, ensuring children receive necessary preventive care and health interventions.
Additionally, the Health Department noted that children between six months and five years of age should visit healthcare facilities every six months to receive Vitamin A supplementation and deworming treatments. These interventions are critical for supporting healthy growth, strengthening immunity, and preventing nutritional deficiencies and parasitic infections.
Officials also warned parents to remain vigilant for symptoms of vaccine-preventable diseases, particularly in children who have missed routine immunisations. Warning signs such as fever, rash, persistent cough, muscle weakness, neck stiffness, jaundice, severe headache, or seizures should not be ignored and require prompt medical evaluation.
The department clarified that parents who have lost their child’s Road to Health Booklet should not be discouraged from seeking care. Healthcare workers are fully prepared to assist with record reconstruction and provide necessary catch-up immunisations, ensuring every child is protected and given the opportunity for a healthier future.
