The Ghana Health Service, with the support of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, UNICEF in an attempt to keep the resurging virus at bay, rolled out a polio vaccination campaign targeted at children under five years across all the 16 regions of Ghana in September this year.
This National vaccination campaign against polio follows the confirmation of circulaparalyzesine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) in the country from two acute flaccid paralyzes (AFP) cases; one each from North Gonja District in Savanna Region and West Mamprusi in North East Region.
The First Round of the campaign was from 1st – 4th September 2022, and the second phase is scheduled from 6th – 9th October 2022.
The nOPV2 vaccine is the next-generation version of the monovalent Oral Polio Vaccine (mOPV2) which is safe and effective in protecting against the type 2 poliovirus while being more genetically stable and thus decreasing the likelihood of cVDPV2 emergence in low immunity settings.
Media Engagement
Addressing the Media on 6th October 2022 on the need for phase two of the campaign, The Shama District Director of Health Services, Mrs. Judith Naa Deide Okine elucidated the Second Round is expected to increase population immunity against the Type 2 Poliovirus and break the transmission of the disease among children in the district.
‘It is very significant for the second round of the campaign as it completes the vaccination process and ensures the effective functioning of the vaccine”, Mrs. Naa Deide Okine expressed.
The Director Further stated that the targeted population to receive the vaccination are children from a day born to fifty-nine(59) months. Adding that, the total number of children anticipated to be vaccinated in the shama district alone, per statistics at their disposal is 25,374.
However, the district is expecting to exceed this figure as there are market days within the week when people travel far and near with their children to the community to trade. she believes the vaccinators will have access to such children and vaccinate them against the virus.
Notwithstanding, as a fishing community, many Fisher folks are migrating in daily with their families, and they are working on vaccinating all such children so no child would be left behind in the district.
As part of the effort of spreading the message to Parents and Guidance in the community, the District Director asserted volunteers and social mobilizers had already moved from house to house and from neighborhood creating awareness and enlightening stakeholders on the need for the vaccine.
Community Information Centers, Mobile vans, and Radio engagements were other means of relaying the information to the general public
However, Mrs. Judith Naa Deide Okine has appealed to parents and guidance to release their wards to receive the vaccines as it’s for their welfare.
She added that some parents refused some vaccinators from vaccinating their children at the first round. This she believes shouldn’t repeat as it’s a national campaign that is backed by law and every parent should allow their children to receive the vaccine.
“Whatever we are doing is for the advancement of the children in the district in terms of their health. We don’t want our children to have “feeble futures” due to polio which can be prevented by these drops. We are by this entreating all Parents and Guidance to help for a successful campaign and total eradication of the polio virus in the country”, added the Director.
Meanwhile, The Vaccination campaign has already commenced in the District and it’s expected to end on Sunday, 9th October.
Representatives of WHO and UNICEF are already in the District ensuring that things move smoothly.
But as part of an endeavor to cover all children, the District has added Monday, 10th October as a mop-up day throughout the district.
The District Director concluded her address by lauding the volunteers and the vaccinators for their Yeoman work during the first phase and she encouraged them to reiterate the same and even more in this round.