DDay

Immunisation

Do you remember when you were 15 and the good old van from the public clinic came purring into the school gates and deliver a group of dedicated nightingales dressed in starched uniform ready to serve you?
Yes, it's immuisation time again. This morning we had a session in school and it was fun watching the girls pulling forlorn faces and hearing their screeches. What's the big hue and cry? It's only a poke.



Look at the motherly care they bestowed upon the children . The girl was negotiating for a gentler poke whereas the nurse was convincing her it's just an ant bite.

The obedient ones all drawing up their sleeves waiting for their turns and could not wait for the ordeal to go away. If they had a choice they would run a thousand miles away. But no, no, no...it may mean a matter of life and death if you avoid this ATT ( anti tetanus toxoid) jab.

Hey girl...wait till you discover the pain of child birth. This is just nothing but yet...she put unneccessary fear into herself and look at the caring nurses; one to give her emotional support and the other to carry out the task as gentle as a dove. What more can one ask for?

The braver ones after the jab had happy and relieved faces. It wasn't that bad , was it?

Incidentally, we had a group of trainee nurses under the teaching of a matron guiding them how to carry out eye tests and some other practices. She assured me that they would not touch any of my children and she was so professional and deft that I could only but agree. We learn things from one another , don't we?

Why this immunisation talk? I want to share a personal experience about immunisation records.

Grace : Mum, the hospital wants a report of my immunisation records. You 've got to fax them across now or they would not allow me into the hospital!

Mum : Oh dear how am I going to get them?

Grace : Mum, do you remember where you kept my health record from my primary school?

Mum : No. I don't even know the existence of it.

Grace : Oh Mum you've got to recall, please...

You may not believe it but I did it! I sat down and started to recall all the clinics I took her to for the immunisation jabs. It ranged from Dr. Khoo of Klinik Kanak-Kanak Khoo of SS2 to Dr. Lee Eng Lam of SJMC to Dr. Soo of SS15 and finally my persistence persuaded the nurses to dig out Grace's old records. Whee...even after 24 years the records were still intact and I finally managed to persuade Dr. Soo to vouch for the records! Even the PA of Dr. Lee, a MS Shireen could remember the name Lau Der Wen all because of her intussuception ordeal! But it was a nerve wrecking experience.

Just last week Grace's cousin sister doing physiotherapy in Adelaide also called home and asked for the medical records so I believe if you are pursuing health sciences courses you will have to keep the records in order.

This ATT jab in Form 3 is also important because I vividly recalled a case some few years ago when a parent called from Canada to verify the immunisation record of his child in Form 3 and fortunately we were able to produce evidence that she DID NOT receive the ATT jab as she missed the procedure and that would mean she had to go through an immunisation program there. So parents keep the records in order as they may come in handy at times like these.

Remember to especially keep the primary school health report booklet as the immunisation records there even provide information of a child's baby immunisation details ( triple antigen, oral polio, MMR, 1st booster DPT , Hepathitis B vaccination ...)

There, the recount of immunisation records.

Keep them in order.