Health officials schooled on new vaccines

Health officials in Tarkwa Nsueam Municipality have been trained on the new expanded programme on immunization vaccines for children under one year.

The two vaccines, pneumococcal and rotavirus are additional vaccines being introduced in Ghana for the first time and will also be part of the health Directorates routine immunization schedule.

Briefing participants on some key issues on the vaccines, including techniques of administration and adverse reactions, Mr Ebenezer Tetteh, the municipal disease control officer said, deploying these vaccines will lead to a reduction in diarrhoea and pneumonia hospitalizations and deaths in the country.

He said diarrhoea and pneumonia are among the leading causes of death in children less than five years of age.

Mr Tetteh said the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine is 36% effective against x-ray confirmed pneumonia while clinical pneumonia is also 8% effective, whereas rotavirus vaccine is 30.3% effective against severe diarrhoea.

He said the vaccines will be introduced nationwide in May this month but the Tarkwa Nsueam assembly will launch its programme on the vaccines on Thursday May 26.

The disease control officer appealed to Ghanaians to embrace the programme to help reduce mortality due to the high rate of pneumonia and diarrhoea cases recorded in the country.**