Vaccine uptake an essential lifesaving 'commodity' though denied

Mavis Mensah (not her real name) is a physically challenged young lady who lives in Amasaman in the Ga West Municipality of the Greater Accra Region. Although she was not born with a disability, Mary became paralyzed due to polio when she was about to be enrolled in school at age four.

Her mother, Alice Asare, said her daughter was looking healthy and bouncy as a child. She felt it was not necessary to continue with the rest of the immunization package, so she did not avail her daughter to the child welfare clinics or any form of immunization against the six childhood killer diseases.

Mavis has never stepped foot in a classroom and has no vocational training for her future. Her mother could not sustain her trading activities any longer; she is always busy caring for her daughter, and life has been unbearable, living on the benevolence of society.

Mavis, who is now an adult, is facing mobility issues and is unable to work for a livelihood. Many other children like Mavis have missed the routine immunization package.

Vaccines, when administered to persons, provide resistance against infectious diseases and boost the body’s immune system to protect an individual from vaccine-preventable diseases (VPD). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), vaccination is one of the best ways to prevent infectious diseases, which saves 3.5 to 5 million lives every year.

Poliomyelitis is one of the six childhood killer diseases instituted as part of Ghana’s primary healthcare programme, including Diphtheria, measles, pertussis, tetanus, and Tuberculosis. Ghana has increased its routine vaccine coverage from six childhood killer diseases to 11, targeting 14 VPDs, while the integration process for COVID-19 vaccines is currently ongoing.

According to the Ghana Health Service (GHS), fresh babies from day one to five years old are expected to go through the routine vaccination procedure as prescribed by the WHO to protect children from paralysis and in times of outbreaks.

This is necessary as the vaccines prevent the spread of infectious diseases and reduce the risk of serious illness, complications, and deaths among children, who are unable to get up-to-date vaccines as prescribed and either become paralyzed or suffer preventable deaths. Immunization, again, lowers healthcare costs by reducing the burden of treating preventable diseases and increases overall community and global health well-being.

Globally in 2021, more than 13 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses were administered, saving an estimated 14.4 million lives and reducing the likelihood of new variants from emerging. Sustainable Development Goal Three ensures the promotion of health for all people of all ages; therefore, the advocacy to get everyone to accept immunization is necessary to not leave anyone behind.

As part of the many efforts to address the issue of vaccine hesitancy, the GHS in collaboration with UNICEF has launched a new mobile application, the “Cranky Uncle Game,” a Global App adapted to suit the Ghanaian situation.

Digital technology has been designed to equip persons with tools to learn, identify, and debunk the myriad tricks and tactics employed by the public on vaccination, using conspiracy theory. It is a user-friendly and interactive game for everyone, made available in text and six local languages (audio), to help dispel vaccine hesitancy in the country.

Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, Director General, GHS, who expressed concern about the continued phenomenon, which was affecting the sector, indicated that the App had been introduced at the right time and would help address the situation.

He urged everyone to embrace the App, learn about the tricks of misinforming the public, change their perception and enable them to have confidence in accepting the vaccines, particularly the COVID-19 vaccines. Dr Kwame Amponsa-Achiano, Programme Manager, Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), GHS, said despite significant achievements, there are pockets of children out there with zero immunity and when not captured could affect their growth or lose their lives.

He expressed concern that some mothers fail to avail their children of vaccination while others refuse it to be administered to their children due to religious beliefs, a situation which was hampering the efforts of the sector. Mr Amponsa-Achiano said despite Ghana’s progress in vaccination coverage, especially with childhood immunizations, the little left out when not captured could accumulate outbreaks.

He said, “That is why it is so important that we capture everyone so that we leave no one behind, we noticed that most of the childhood killer diseases are almost becoming a thing of the past and we need to rally more partnerships to achieve desired results.”

He said the GHS would continue to focus attention on urban and peri-urban areas due to the high population size, saying “We are going all out until we get to the last child by providing interventions such as market clinics right in the middle of the markets and other services to help achieve the target.”

The Programme Manager identified media engagement as one of the important interventions to achieve coverage, being the gateway to the public, adding that people tend to believe any information from radio and television, hence, feeding them with the right information was crucial.

Mr Joel Abekuliya, Head of the Health Education Unit, GHS Health Promotion Division, said for a long time the public has been fed with misinformation on social media and some media houses that wanted to be the first to break the news without fact-checking.

Mr Abekuliya described such a situation as unfortunate, which had caused hesitancy and had compelled individuals to be reluctant, disbelieved, and refused to take the vaccines, causing so much harm to the sector.

He said journalists have the responsibility to shape the narrative on vaccine uptake with compelling storytelling, fact-based reporting, engaging experts in interviews, verifying information and dispelling myths.

The Head of the Education Unit said that the media editors were change agents and the success of vaccination lies with the media playing its gatekeeping role effectively, hence effective collaboration with experts and promoting positive stories of successful vaccination experiences would go a long way to change the narrative. T

The African Media and Malaria Research Network (AMMREN), a non-governmental organization in controlling and eliminating malaria and other diseases in Africa, is leading advocacy on vaccine uptake in collaboration with the Ghana Health Service. Dr Charity Binka, Executive Secretary of the Organization said vaccine hesitancy in the country continued to worry and could be detrimental should any disease outbreak occur.

She stressed that immunization had become an important component of the country’s healthcare system, which had saved the lives of many. However, not everyone had accepted to take the vaccines, particularly, the COVID-19 vaccines adding that, without herd immunity, everyone would be in trouble.

It is for this reason that AMMREN is undertaking a project with journalists across the country to equip them with the necessary information to help push the agenda forward.