The Health Ministry is calling on parents to get their children immunized to protect them from serious illnesses.

The Permanent Secretary for Health Dr Lepani Waqaitakirewa said 19,000 children are born every year in the country however about 3000 children are still not adequately protected against vaccine preventable diseases.

While launching the National Breastfeeding and Immunisation Week at the Nausori Maternity Unit today, Dr Lepani stressed that there are now four vaccines to protect children against nine disease before the age of one.

However he said that despite the recent gains in infant immunisation coverage, about 20% of Fiji's one year olds are not fully immunised against infectious diseases like Meningitis, Pneumonia, Hepatitis B, Diarrhoea, Polio, Tuberculousis and Tetanus.

Dr Lepani said hospitalising the children, suffering and even death can be avoided by immunising the children before they turn "one".

Meanwhile, close to 3,500 mothers and babies took part in the Breastfeeding Latch-on Program today at 10.30am where the babies were fed at the count of one, simultaneously in all the health care facilities Fiji wide.