By Emmanuel Mensah-Abludo
The Ghana Health Service will, from 2nd to 6th October 2024, embark on the nationwide Integrated Measles-Rubella Vaccination campaign.
The initiative, which is a mop-up to routine vaccination exercises, is to further fortify and protect children below five years against measles and Rubella in Ghana’s efforts towards the elimination of measles.
The Upper Regional Director of Health Services, Dr Damien Punguyire, who launched the Upper West version of the campaign, said during the five-day campaign, 155,484 children in the region are expected to be vaccinated against Measles and Rubella.
Dr Punguyire added that the target group will also receive Vitamin A to help boost their immunity, prevent eye diseases, and promote their optimal growth and development.
He continued that the campaign is aimed at addressing the gaps in immunisation coverage, with particular focus on underserved populations.
The Regional Director announced that vaccination sites will be established in health facilities, schools, marketplaces, and temporary outreach sites to ensure that no eligible child is missed during the exercise.
Dr Punguyire continued that each District Health Management Team (DHMT) will map out the number of fixed and outreach sites required to achieve the desired coverage, emphasising that a site distribution strategy will take into account hard-to-reach and underserved areas.
He entreated the media “to continue to build trust in this malaria vaccine and measles-rubella campaign,”saying the success of the rollout requires collective efforts.
The region is relying on the media to generate demand for all doses, including the fourth dose, which is given when a child turns 18 months, Dr Punguyire stressed.
A retired health worker, Alhaji Hassan Issaka, who chaired the function, entreated the media to let the message on the vaccination go far into our communities and emphasised that it should be drummed home for parents to see to it that their children take up to the fourth doze.
