Children in parts of Accra receive polio vaccination

Hundreds of children in parts of the Greater Accra Region have received polio vaccination to raise their immunity against the non-wild polio virus.

The vaccination exercise, to protect children from the infectious disease, which can paralyze and cause death, is ongoing in eight regions throughout the country by the Ministry of Health.

It started on September 10 and will end on September 13, 2020.

The GNA sighted vaccination mobile teams at Darkuman, Kaneshie, Dansoman, Lapaz, Abeka, North Kaneshie, Fadama, Nyamekye, and Adabraka.

The teams moved from home to home to drop the vaccine on the tongues of children after explaining the purpose to their parents or guardians.

After the vaccination, the child’s left little finger is dipped in indelible ink as an indication that he or she had been vaccinated.

Ms Martha Onuman, a member of one of the mobile teams, told the Ghana News Agency that they had not experienced any obstacle since the start of the exercise and commended the public for the cooperation.

She said the virus could enter the body through water or food that had been contaminated with infected faeces, and that the disease had no cure, and could only be prevented through immunisation, good hygiene, and sanitisation practices.

The vaccine, Ms Onuman said, was safe, effective, and free and given multiple times and could protect a child for life.

Madam Awo Hayford, Mother of four-year-old Nhyira Hayford, said she received a Short Message Service (SMS) from MoH two days to exercise.

“As soon as I had the message, I put on hold all my errands and decided to stay home to get my child vaccinated. There are five children in this house so I informed all mothers of the rest of the four to be ready for the vaccine,” she said.

Madam Hayford expressed appreciation to the Ministry and the vaccination teams for the effort and urged all mothers to make their children available for the vaccination to ‘kick out’ the virus from the country.