‘Polio vaccination in Upper East Region successful’
The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) say the first round of the polio vaccination exercise in the Upper East Region has largely been successful as the region achieved a 97 per cent coverage of children under five years.
The first round of the exercise in the area started from September 25 to 28, 2019, while the second round, which began on October 16, would end today, October 19, 2019.
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About 1,400 community health volunteers are supporting health personnel to visit houses, markets, schools and other places to undertake the exercise.
Commendation
At a health facility in the Kassena Nankana Municipality in the region, the WHO Representative to Ghana, Dr Owen Kaluwa, and the Chief of Health Nutrition of UNICEF, Dr Mrunal Shetye, both commended personnel of the Ghana Health Service(GHS) and the volunteers for their commitment and support towards achieving the target of the vaccination.
They, however, urged them to ensure that they reached out to every single child eligible for vaccination and also entreated parents and guardians to make their children available.
Dr Shetye observed that this time round “the exercise has been well-planned as the teams move around prepared; the vaccines are also potent".
UNICEF Health Specialist, Dr Peter Baffoe, advised the volunteers and health personnel “not to focus too much on your target to the neglect of reaching out to every single child that is eligible for vaccination".
The Upper East Regional Director of the GHS, Dr Winfred Ofosu, expressed optimism that by the end of the second round of the exercise, the region would achieve a 100 per cent coverage.
Appeal
The Kassena Nankana Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Williams Aduum, appealed to philanthropists and development partners to support the municipality in the face of recent floods that hit the area.
He said four deaths were recorded while 5,054 people had been rendered homeless in the municipality.
Background
The Polio vaccination exercise was in response to a confirmed case of vaccine derived Polio Virus Type 2 (cVDPV2) in a two-year old child that later developed into an acute Flaccid Paralysis at Andonyama, a community at Chereponi in the Northern Region in July this year.