The Ghana Health Service has as part of its preventive healthcare mechanisms, said to embark on a nationwide Measles-Rubella and Vitamin 'A' immunization exercise across the Central Region.

The exercise which seeks to target children at the age of 9 months to 5 years is slated to commence on Wednesday, Octotber 2 to Sunday, October 6, 2024.

GHS through the exercise is set to target about 450,00 children within all 22 Districts in the Central Region.

Addressing the media at a press briefing, Dr. Jojo Cobbinah, the Deputy Director in charge of Public Health at the Central Regional Health Directorate, remarked that the region has in the last last two years, recorded some 14 cases of measles.

Specifically at the Upper Denkyira East District which recorded 11 measles cases and the Asikuma Odoben Brakwa District, which had 3 of such cases recorded, but for measures laid down by the Ghana Health Service in resolving the situation, no death was recorded.

Hence, the need for the health service to embark on a vast immunization campaign across the region to have all other children in the region protected against the disease.

He made the assertion that the GHS has put in place all necessary arrangements to have the exercise trace down to every remote area and hard-to-reach communities across the region and in the country at large. 

Dr. Jojo Cobbinah again beseeched the general public to oblige for their wards to get vaccinated and embrace personnel of the Ghana Health Service with open arms should they visit to vaccinate their children.

Acting Regional Health Director of the Central Region, Dr. Mrs. Agnes Achiamaa Anane outlined the importance of children taking up the exercise since in recent past the region has recorded a few cases of measles, which the GHS wants every child to get protected against.

She implored parents to discard the myth surrounding vaccination and urged them all to allow their children gat immunised, since vaccination itself connotes to treatment, appears medicational and a preventive measure to guard against transmission of the disease which spreads really fast among the aforementioned age bracket.

Ghana in combating measles, has made significant gains with its controlling measures, since from 2003 to 2021, no child died from measles in the country.

However, available data has it that over 40% of negative measles cases test positive for Rubella, as for some years now, regular mass measles campaigns have been organized to vaccinate large number of children within a short period to prevent measles outbreaks.

Sompaonline.com/Eric Annan