The Ghana Health Service (GHS) in the Bono, Ahafo and Bono East Regions says it exceeded its target figure of 570,683 children in the just ended Round One of the Immunisation against Poliomyelitis.
According to the GHS over 577,000 children representing 101.3 percent, were immunized.
The Deputy Bono Regional Director of Health Services in-charge of Public Health, Dr. John Ekow Otoo who revealed this to Radio Ghana in an interview attributed the success to the cooperation from the public and the strategies put in place to fight the latest outbreak of Polio.
The Ghana Health Service (GHS) on the 8th January this year began a 3 days exercise to vaccinate all children under five years in the Bono East, Ahafo and Bono regions to contain the outbreak of poliomyelitis in the area.
The exercise, which ended on Saturday, January 11, also covered the Oti Region. Two children in Ahafo and Bono East regions died while a third child is battling for survival at the Sunyani Municipal Hospital in the current outbreak.
The first victim was a 33-month-old female from Sisala line, a suburb of Techiman in the Bono East Region, while the second death involved a 37-month-old male from Kwasuso, a farming community in the Asutifi South District of the Ahafo Region. The third child, who is undergoing treatment, is a two-year-old female from Asiri, another farming community in the Jaman North District of the Bono Region.
The vaccination process is in three folds, the round zero was carried out in December 2019 with the second, Round One ending last week. A third exercise, Round Two will take place next month. The target of the GHS was to vaccinate a total of 570, 683 children under five in the three regions during Round One, but according to the Bono Regional Director of Public Health, Dr John Ekow Otoo they exceeded the target of over 577,000 children.
Dr. Otoo attributed it to the cooperation from the public as well as the various strategies put in place by the GHS. He stressed that round two of the vaccination will kick-start from 5-8th of February next month and called on all especially parents to make sure their children under five receive the next dose of the Polio Vaccine in order for them to be fully protected against the disease.
