Address vaccine hesitancy in Ghana – WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO), has counselled Ghana’s stakeholders in the health sector to address vaccine doubtfulness to safeguard every child in the country is vaccinated.

WHO believes vaccine hesitancy in Ghana and to a larger extent Africa has become a rising concern which needs critical steps to address it.

The Country Representative for WHO, Dr. Francis Chikasa Kasolo who made the call appealed to the Ghana Health Service (GHS) to invest in strong immunization systems and ensure vaccine accessibility to all children in the country.

He said this during the launch of the 2023 edition of the African Vaccination Week which was held at the Lancaster Hotel in the Ashanti Regional capital Kumasi on Thursday, April 20, 2023.

Speaking on the theme “The Big Catch-Up”, Dr. Kasolo called on African leaders to work together in the spirit of achieving sustainable development goals which implore every country to provide quality healthcare to its citizens.

“As we celebrate the 2023 African Vaccination Week, we must work together in the spirit of the sustainable development goals, to ensure that no child is left behind, this means measures are put in place to ensure vaccines are available to all who need it.”

Addressing participants at the launch, the Director General for Ghana Health Service, Dr. Patrick Kuma Aboagye underscored the need for stakeholders in the health sector to team up and support active immunization programs in the country.

He noted that African vaccination week provides special opportunities for health officials to educate the public on the need to get vaccinated and its accompanying importance.

“The week provides the opportunity to showcase the importance of vaccines in all our lives, and how they protect us, young and old, against more than 25 vaccine-preventable diseases.”

“As we work to accelerate COVID-19 vaccination efforts, it is critical that we don’t ignore the urgent need to also strengthen routine immunization efforts.”

Dr. Aboagye pledged GHS's commitment to vaccinating all children across the country to protect them from childhood diseases.

He urged parents to visit any health facilities closer to them to get their children vaccinated.