Child Health and Immunisation
We are dedicated to helping children grow up healthy, strong, and supported. Our child health services are carefully designed to give every child the best possible start in life, especially during the First 1 000 days, a time when early care and nutrition make a lifelong difference.
We offer a wide range of services at all levels of care, from local clinics to larger hospitals. These services are not only about treating illnesses but also about preventing them, promoting healthy habits, and supporting families through every stage of a child’s early life.
A central part of our approach is called the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI). This is a practical, evidence-based guideline that helps healthcare workers assess and care for children from birth up to five years of age. It focuses on the most common and serious illnesses in young children, including respiratory infections, diarrhoea, measles, malnutrition, and HIV.
What you can expect from our child health services:
- Regular immunisation and growth monitoring
- Support with feeding and nutrition, including breastfeeding guidance
- Routine screening for HIV, TB, and developmental delays
- Step-by-step assessments to identify and treat health conditions early
- Helpful information for caregivers on how to care for sick children at home
- Clear advice on when to come back for follow-up visits
Learn more about the First 1 000 Days of a child’s life: www.westerncape.gov.za/first-1000-days
Immunisation
Immunisation is one of the most important ways to protect your child and your community from dangerous diseases. Every year, vaccines save millions of lives around the world by preventing serious diseases.
When your child is vaccinated, their body learns to recognise and respond to dangerous diseases when the child is exposed to these diseases. This protection is called immunity. When a child is vaccinated, it also reduces the spread of infectious diseases. Vaccinations are safe, and while some children may experience mild side effects, like a small fever or soreness at the injection site, these usually go away quickly.
In the Western Cape, our immunisation schedule follows the South African Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI), which provides vaccinations against diseases such as polio, measles, diphtheria, whooping cough (pertussis), tetanus, hepatitis B, and TB. We encourage parents and caregivers to follow this immunisation schedule from their child’s birth until they are 12 years old.
These immunisations are available free at public clinics and at a cost at private pharmacies and clinics. We also have a consent-based school-based immunisation programme where healthcare workers will go to your child’s creche or school to vaccinate children whose parents consented to the vaccine.
It is never too late for your child be to vaccine. If your child’s vaccinations are not up to date, you can speak to a healthcare worker at your nearest clinic. They’ll help guide you based on your child’s age and vaccination history. If you have lost your Road To Health Booklet with your child’s vaccination history, you can ask a healthcare worker at your nearest clinic to check if your child is eligible for a replacement booklet.
For your child’s first immunisation visit at the clinic, please bring:
- Your ID
- Your child’s birth certificate
- Payslip (if you have)
- Proof of address
- The Road to Health Booklet (if you have one)
For follow-up visits, you only have to bring your child’s Road to Health Booklet.
Learn more about immunisation and child health: https://www.gov.za/services/services-residents/parenting/child-care/child-immunisation
HPV (Human Papillomavirus)
Since 2014, over 350 000 girls in South Africa have been vaccinated against HPV, helping us move closer to eliminating cervical cancer. HPV (Human Papillomavirus) is a common virus that can cause cervical cancer later in life.
The HPV vaccine helps prevent this cancer. The vaccine is safe and works best before exposure to HPV. Therefore, we are giving this vaccine as part of our school-based immunisation programme in both public and private schools in the Western Cape. All vaccines are free and administered by trained healthcare professionals.
With parental consent, these vaccines will be given as part of our HPV school-based vaccination campaign:
- HPV vaccine (single dose): For eligible Grade 5, 6, and 7 girls in private schools.
- Tdap booster vaccine: For all Grade 5 learners (girls and boys) in both public and private schools.
Before our healthcare professionals visit your child’s school, a consent form will be sent home with your child. The signed form must be returned to school before vaccination day. No child will be vaccinated without a signed consent form.
Most children have mild side effects like redness at the injection site, slight fever, or tiredness, which go away quickly. Serious reactions are very rare. If you would like more information, please talk to your local clinic or nurse, check the Road to Health booklet or visit WHO HPV Fact Sheet.