222 communities in Volta for immunisation campaign

A total of 222 communities in the Volta region have been targeted for a three-month immunisation campaign under the Second Year of Life (2YL) project of the Health Promotion Department (HPD) of the Ghana Health Service.

The project, themed; “Protecting Children from Vaccine Preventable Diseases by strengthening the 2YL Immunisation Platform in Ghana”, would be implemented with support from UNICEF, Red Cross, and the Ghana Coalition of Non-Governmental Organisations in Health (GCNGH) from August to November 2017 in the Greater Accra, Northern and Volta regions.

The GCNGH, an umbrella organisation of over 400 NGOs and CSOs operating in the health sector, had shortlisted 117 and 105 communities in the Ho municipality and Adaklu districts respectively for the campaign.

The Coalition, from September 1, will organise door-to-door visitations, durbars and community engagements and tour schools, churches and mosques to educate and provide "catch-up" for missed vaccines, particularly the second dose of Measles Rubella.

Dr Joseph Opare, Project Coordinator, 2YL, at the regional launch in Ho said, a greater percentage of mothers were not reporting for successive doses of the Measles vaccine and asked them to ensure infants completed the two-year immunisation cycle towards achieving the Measles elimination goal of 95 per cent by 2020.

He said the immunogenicity of Measles vaccine improved by age and asked health workers, as major stakeholders, to provide adequate information to caregivers on the exercise.

Dr Opare cited among others, the lack of a clear national policy, low coverage rates and varied understanding of the vaccination cycle, as challenges facing disease control through immunisations.

Mrs Grace Kafui Annan, Head of the HPD, said other services such as growth monitoring, mosquito net distribution and Vitamin A supplementation would be provided during the campaign.

She said most children in their second years were in pre-schools and that Parent-Teacher Associations would be called upon to support the exercise.