Immunisation - UK Hib Catch-Up Campaign

For parents who follow the UK immunisation schedule, you may wish to know that it has been announced that young children who have not been previously offered a booster vaccination for the haemophilus influenza type b (Hib )bacterial infection will be provided with one, beginning in the new school year.

Children born between 13 March 2003 and 3 September 2005 who will be between two years old, and four years and five months old at the start of the campaign on 10 September 2007, are eligible for the Hib booster jab.

Children in this group will be given the booster as part of their pre-school immunisation. So, a separate appointment or separate injection will not be required. Any child who has already had the pre-school booster without Hib will be offered a Hib/Meningitis C booster.

No child has to have this immunisation if their parents do not want them to. However it is advised, as it acts as extra protection.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) have recommended that this group of children receive a Hib booster in line with the protection already offered to older and younger children. They have developed a catch-up programme that will start in September 2007, and continue until March 2009.

Parents who follow the vaccination schedule of any other country may wish to check their own country guidelines. For full information see www.immunisation.nhs.uk

Healthy Lunches

Thank you for helping to encourage healthy eating patterns by not sending in snacks for lunch. When most of the children participate, it is a helpful example for others. Likewise, if large numbers of children begin to bring in snacks, such as packets of cake or several biscuits, then other children go home and ask for the same. Thus, some parents who try to send only nutritious items complain to me that their child is asking for snacks because Johnny brings them. For our part, we are offering encouragement by awarding stickers, certificates and team points for healthy eating behaviours.

Important Requests

The British Embassy has been contacted about the need for a qualified nurse to assist a British child (English and Russian speaking family) with the nursing care of their child, who has undergone a very serious illness.

The job is for two hours in the morning and evening. Please contact Glynis Ozcan for details.

Mrs Ergen has requested a donation of a pushchair for a poor family.

Nurse Glynis urgently needs donation of ONLY small girls knickers, tights and trousers.

Special Points of Interest:

New advice has been issued to parents on the use of dummies for infants:

Settling an infant to sleep with a dummy - even for naps-can reduce the incidence of cot death according to experts. But all the previous advice on cot death remains, including settling an infant to sleep on their back. Breast feeding infants should not start before one month of age and of course a baby should not be forced to take a dummy if not wanted. Also a dummy should never be coated in something sweet.

Yours sincerely

Glynis Ozcan
School Nurse