The Ghana Health Service is set to commence the second phase of its polio mass vaccination campaign from November 21 to 24, 2024, aiming to immunize 7.2 million children under 5 years. This initiative is estimated to cost over ¢49 million.
The Director of the Public Health Division of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Franklin Asiedu-Bekoe, stressed that the objective of the continuous mass immunization exercise was to stop the transmission of the increasing number of confirmed polio cases in both human and environmental samples in some parts of the country.
He however called on parents and schools to allow children to be vaccinated for polio as part of the initiative by the health ministry and Ghana Health Service to end polio in Ghana among children 5 years and below.
This was revealed during the launch of the second phase of its polio vaccination campaign in Accra, aiming to raise awareness and encourage stakeholders to participate in the exercise to protect children from future health risks.
Notably, Statistics by the Ghana Heath Service indicate that the first phase achieved impressive results, with Upper East recording 99.7% and Bono East 90.4% coverage, surpassing Greater Accra’s 80.54% and Savannah Region’s 80.7%, which lagged behind.
He emphasized that well-trained community health nurses will conduct the exercise, and appealed to caregivers to take note and permit their children to receive the vaccination, as the specialized vaccine being used to combat the outbreak is not readily available at regular Child Welfare Clinics.
Polio, a viral disease spread mainly through fecal-oral transmission, has no known cure. However, health experts emphasize that vaccination remains the most effective way to prevent the disease.
The Ministry of Health has reported that the first phase of the polio vaccination campaign was successful, despite facing challenges in accessing some areas. These accessibility issues will be addressed in the second phase, aiming to immunize 7.2 million children.
