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Immunisation

For as long as we can remember babies and children under five years of age have been taken in for baby vaccines or immunisations. Let us therefore take this opportunity to appreciate and explore what exactly this vaccination or baby immunisations are.

What is immunisation? The process by which an individual’s immune system becomes fortified against an infectious agent through administration of a vaccine. What are the benefits? Immunisation is a way of protecting against serious diseases. Once we've been immunised, our bodies are better able to fight these diseases if we come into contact with them.

Why should I take my child for vaccination? Vaccination is very safe and effective. Vaccines are only given to children after a long and careful review by scientists, doctors, and healthcare professionals. Vaccines will involve some discomfort and may cause pain, redness or tenderness at the site of injection and or fever, but this is minor compared to the pain, discomfort, and trauma of the diseases these vaccines prevent.

Editor's Comment
Medicine before ConCourt

Yet, while this crisis ravages the communities, the administration is championing a major, resource-intensive legal reform and the establishment of a dedicated Constitutional Court. While the principle of strengthening constitutional justice is commendable, the timing is profoundly misplaced. When the President himself admits the government coffers are limited, every thebe and every moment of political capital must be directed towards the...

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