Oguaa mothers reluctant to send children for polio immunization

Ekon (C/R) Nov. 4, GNA- The enthusiasm showed by mothers in some communities in the Cape Coast municipality when this year's integrated child health immunization campaign kicked off last Wednesday has drastically reduced.

This is due to the fact that many mothers with children over two years refused to send their children to the vaccination centres because they would not be given treated insecticide bed nets. Mrs. Lydia Gyawu, the Ekon community health officer, made this known when the Netherlands Ambassador to Ghana, Mrs Lidi Remmelzwaal, visited one of the vaccination centres in Ekon as part of her tour of some centres in the Central Region.

Under the five-days campaign, which ends on Sunday, children under the age of five are being immunized against polio and measles, while those between six months and five years will, in addition receive vitamin A capsules and those below age two will receive free insecticide treated bed nets as well.

Mrs. Gyawu explained that in the first two days of the exercise, the turn out was very high but when the mothers realized that the nets were not meant for all, they refused to send their children for the vaccination with the excuse that they would not benefit from anything. She said in the past four days a total of 750 out of a target of 1,300 children have been vaccinated in the area and added that her outfit has re-strategized to meet it target and have embarked on a house-to-house immunization, stressing that in some cases the children were carried to the vaccination centres by the volunteers.

Mr Peter Deiter, regional disease control officer and coordinator of the immunization campaign, said, so far about 40 percent out of a target of 232,264 children have been provided with treated bed nets and that 39 percent have also been covered in the polio, measles and vitamin A capsules and was hopeful that the region would meet its target of more than 600,000 children.

He said the there were 919 centres in the region with 2,756 volunteers, adding that about 576,337 and 489,886 children were expected to be immunized against polio and measles respectively. Earlier, when the Ambassador paid the Central Regional Minister, Nana Ato Arthur a courtesy call at the residency, he commended the Dutch government for supporting the health and other social needs of the country, especially in the Cape Coast and Elmina districts. He also expressed his gratitude to them for being one of the major donors towards this year's immunization campaign and stressed that it would go a long way to cement the relationship between the two countries.

Mrs Remmelswaal acknowledged the importance of the exercise and said it was a bold step taken by the government to solve child health care delivery needs in the country and gave the assurance that her country would continue to support Ghana in her health needs. She will also visit some centres in the Abura-Asebu-Kwamankesse and Assin-Fosu districts.