National ‘mop up/catch up’ Campaign to Boost Immunisation Coverage

The Ministry of Health and Wellness is moving to increase immunisation coverage through a national ‘mop up/catch up’ campaign.

Portfolio Minister, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, provided details at a press conference held at his New Kingston offices in St. Andrew on Thursday (December 15).

The Minister, in noting that coverage is not at the desired levels, said that the campaign will encourage parents and guardians to play their role in ensuring that children are immunised at the appropriate age levels.

He said that further details of the initiative will be provided in the coming week.

Noting that immunisation coverage is key in preventing diseases, Dr. Tufton said that Jamaica has enjoyed a robust history of successful inoculation, which has eliminated several diseases such as poliomyelitis, measles, and rubella.

The Minister said that Jamaica is at about 95 per cent coverage for all childhood vaccines but that there was a time when it was higher, so even a slight fall-off is cause for concern.

He noted that in recent times “immunisation has become a point of criticism, sufficient to discourage some persons from taking advantage of this very important life-saving human development practice”.

Stressing that vaccines work, he said that the Government has ensured that only safe vaccines enter the island.

“They go through a lot of technical examination. They work and they have worked in Jamaica for many years. One of the reasons why our life expectancy is so high, at 76 years for women and 74 years for men, is because our human development index is largely linked to the health response, where immunisation has given significant protection to the population, warding off viruses,” Dr. Tufton said.

Children in Jamaica must be vaccinated against the following preventable diseases – small pox, pertussis (whooping cough), polio, tetanus (lock jaw), diphtheria, measles, mumps, rubella and congenital rubella syndrome, Haemophilus influenza type B, hepatitis B, and tuberculosis.

Under the law, children must be adequately immunised before school entry.