GHS Commences Measles-Rubella Vaccination Tomorrow

Ghana Health Service is set to begin the Measles- Rubella vaccine and vitamin A supplement rollout from Wednesday, October 2 – 6, across the country.

More than 5 million children are to be reached with the vaccines following the increasing number of measles cases being reported across the country.

Over ten thousand (10,000) vaccination teams have been deployed for the exercise, which should have been done last year.

The last time Ghana held such a campaign was in 2018, leaving behind a huge number of these children who have become vulnerable to the disease.

For years, cases of measles have been on the decrease in the country, but for the last three years the country has been witnessing an increase in all parts of the country.

At the official launch of the national campaign, Director General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr Patrick Kuma -Aboagye, entreated the general public to get involved to ensure the children are protected.

According to him, although challenges, including logistics constraints, continue to confront efforts, he is certain all shall be surmounted.

“The delay in conducting the measles and rubella for our campaign, along with vaccine supply challenges, has led to an increase in cases since 2022. In fact, during the recent outbreak, I’m informed, some schools, especially in the northern part of the country, were forced to close, and some families even relocated from the most affected areas out of fear of contracting the disease. This fear is not only about health but also the economic and social burdens that a single measles case can place on a family.”

The Programme Manager for the Expanded Programme on Immunization, Dr. Kwame Amponsa- Achiano said the country has made adequate progress in efforts at implementing the WHO recommended strategies for the control of measles-Rubella, but there is still a long way to go.

According to him, they know there is a substantial number of susceptible children up over the past five years.

“As we already said, this campaign will have a significant impact on all existing efforts to manage the disease in the country. The routine immunization of the measles Rubella vaccine is still happening. This cohort of children were missed and so we should have done this exercise last year. So, we had to do it this year since the cases are increasing in the last 3 years even though there haven’t been deaths recorded. A lot of engagements have already gone on to sanitize the people at the districts,” he explained.

“The general public is encouraged to support the campaign by making available the children under 5 years to be vaccinated against the deadly disease,” Dr Amponsa-Achiano urged.

Source:opemsuo.com