Greater Accra launches integrated vaccination programme

The Greater Accra Regional Health Directorate has launched an integrated measles and rubella SIAS campaign to protect children against vaccine preventable diseases.

The campaign, which is on the theme, “Measles and Rubella Kill, Vaccinate your Child now for Good Life,” seeks to entrench the success story the Ghana Health Service has choked in the area of child healthcare.

In a speech read on his behalf by the Ashaiman Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), MR. Albert Boakye Okyere, on Tuesday at the Mandela Park, Ashaiman, the Greater Accra Regional Minister observed that the regular mass measles campaign to vaccinate large numbers of children in a short period had helped prevent measles outbreak.

He said, this strategy had helped maintain the gains achieved in preventing measles and its associated deaths in the country over the years, which had resulted in zero death from vaccine preventable diseases in Ghana for the past fifteen years.

He observed that “the Greater Accra Regional Health Directorate of GHS and its partners were launching measles and rubella and vitamin A supplementation campaign in 2018 to boost immunity and reach the unprotected thereby preventing future outbreak.”

He said nine to 15 year olds must be vaccinated with the measles and rubella vaccines and given vitamin A capsules at designated points within the communities from Wednesday 17th October to Monday the 22nd.

He said, “In launching the campaign they wish to remind you of the fact that measles and rubella vaccination prevents measles and rubella. Its diseases can kill, cause deformities in children and Vitamin A makes children healthy.”

He asked parents to report any adverse reactions during the vaccination to the nearest health facility for action, and advised community members to provide information on the campaign, identify immunization sites and get their children immunized.

He informed that government was committed to total quality health service to Ghanaians with a deepened emphasis on child health delivery to guarantee a future of healthy population which would lead to good economic gains.

In a speech read on his behalf by the Ashaiman Municipal Director of Education, Madam Joyce Orleans Madjitey, the Ashaiman MCE, informed that the municipality was able to immunize 5846 children within the municipality from January to September 2018.

He said since the Introduction of the Inactivated Polio Vaccine into the EPI, 2,927 children had been vaccinated in the Ashaiman municipality from June to date.

He informed that despite these efforts, Ashaiman municipality did not have the needed infrastructure and equipment to provide immunization service, adding that, “Ashaiman had problems with child welfare clinics where immunization was held, being one of the most densely populated municipalities in Ghana with a small land surface, as such health officers keep being ejected from one place to the other.”

He said EPI services were also affected because of lack of needed cold chain equipment like vaccine carriers, refrigerators, etc.

He added that Inadequate staff, cold chain equipment, huge electricity bills to maintain vaccines and required cold for the municipality, inadequate transport to bring in vaccines and other logistics from Accra, transport to support vaccination services, monitoring visits and other support visits grossly affected the work of the health professionals in the Municipality.

He observed that the Integration of the environment and man could bring about certain preventable diseases such a cholera, polio, therefore every visitor and resident of Ashaiman must support cleanliness and sanitation in the city as they help the health directorate and its partners and stakeholders to continue the fight against vaccine prevention diseases.