Upper East Regional Director of the Ghana Health Services (GHS), Dr. Winfred Ofosu, has appealed to traditional leaders and all stakeholders in healthcare delivery to support the efforts of health workers to ensure effective implementation of Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) into the routine immunisation schedule in line with operation end the polio game.
IPV is an injectable vaccine intended to be given to babies who are 14 weeks old to boost their immune system and also help to eliminate the risk of vaccine-associated paralytic polio and circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus.
At the regional launch of IPV in Bolgatanga last Friday when Ghana joined the rest of the world with the introduction of the vaccine into the routine imminisation, Dr. Ofosu said Ghana’s childhood immunisation programme that was adopted 40 years ago to reduce incidence of both Pertussis and diphtheria experienced a dramatic downturn while child survival rate astronomically increased.
Following the success of the six antigens, the director said it became necessary over the years to expand the scope of diseases prevented through childhood immunisation hence the addition of more vaccines. “This was particularly important due to high infant and child morbidity and mortality due to other vaccine preventable diseases such as Yellow Fever, Hepatitis B, Diarrhea and the like.” He added.
World Health Organisation has identified childhood immunisation as the most viable and cost effective strategy for protecting children against vaccine preventable diseases. Dr. Ofosu said the Expanded Programme on Immunisation was introduced in June 1978 as one of the key strategies for reducing under-five morbidity and mortality by controlling, eliminating or eradicating vaccine preventable diseases through maternal and childhood immunisation which formed an essential component of primary health care.
Based on WHO recommendation, several countries across the world have already introduced IPV into their immunisation systems and Dr. Ofosu has said his outfit would use the introduction of IPV as an opportunity to further build its immunisation programme to ensure that all children in the region are fully immunised against all 13 targeted diseases.
He disclosed that the region has mobilised adequate quantities of all logistics and resources needed for effective introduction of IPV. All health personnel involved in the delivery of immunisation services at the various levels are well trained and equipped with the required knowledge and skills to administer the vaccine safely to eligible children.
The director, therefore, appealed to traditional, political, religious leaders, parents and individuals and communities to support the efforts of health workers and care givers mandated to smoothly carry out the exercise.
Upper East Regional Minister, Rockson Ayine Bukari, who launched the programme, observed that new vaccines usually come with a lot of misinformation and apprehension which can be dispelled by the media. He, therefore, called on practitioners to partner the GHS in disseminating accurate and timely information to the public about the vaccine.
Source:TopNewsGhana.com
