An urban strategy towards the EPI

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Immunisation Programs
• Urban Health Challenges

Background:

• South African cities face challenges to immunisation services due to rapid urbanisation, fragmented healthcare, and civil unrest.
• Many children attending hospital outpatient departments have not received essential preventive services, including immunisation.
• Existing immunisation services in urban South African settings require innovative approaches to reach all children.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a novel system for completing immunisation in children admitted to a major South African children's hospital.
• To address the gap in preventive healthcare for children who access hospital services but lack complete immunisation.
• To highlight the role of hospital-based initiatives in enhancing child immunisation coverage.

Main Methods:

• Development and implementation of an immunisation system for all children with incomplete immunisation status upon hospital entry.
• Utilisation of the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, Cape Town, as a setting for the intervention.
• Coordination of immunisation activities through the hospital's Community Health Liaison Group.

Main Results:

• A system was successfully established to identify and immunise children with incomplete immunisation records upon admission.
• The hospital setting served as a crucial point for intervention for a vulnerable pediatric population.
• The Community Health Liaison Group effectively coordinated preventive health activities, including immunisation.

Conclusions:

• Hospital-based immunisation programs can effectively reach children who have missed routine preventive services.
• Integrated health coordination within hospitals is vital for improving child immunisation rates in urban settings.
• This system offers a model for enhancing immunisation coverage in areas facing public health challenges.