Taking stock in South Africa as Expanded Programme on Immunization marks 40 years
The waiting room at the Meadowlands Zone 3 Clinic in Soweto, South Africa, is full of children brought by their parents for their scheduled vaccinations. Medical staff follow a well-rehearsed routine, registering arrivals, weighing babies as part of pre-immunization checks, and vaccinating the young patients.
Lindiwe Khumalo, clutching a blue vaccination booklet, has brought her 18-month old son Sibusiso (Blessing). Lindiwe remembers being vaccinated as a girl and needing her vaccination record for school entry. Now she is a mother herself, she is clear about the importance of immunization.