The Bono East Regional Health Directorate in collaboration with the office of the Bono East Regional Minister, has embarked on a sensitization program across region to educate the public on the importance of measles and rubella vaccination and immunization.
The initiative is aimed to raise awareness about the dangers of measles and rubella as well as the need to vaccinate children between the ages of nine (9) months to fifty-nine (59) month old against these diseases.
According to the World Health Organization, measles is a highly contagious viral disease and remains an important cause of death among young children globally, despite the availability of a safe and effective vaccine. Rubella is a contagious viral infection that occurs most often in children and young adults. Pregnant people with rubella can pass it to the fetus, causing hearing and vision loss, heart defects and other serious conditions.
The sensitization program by the Bono East Regional Health Directorate and the office of the Bono East Regional Minister, is part of a broader effort to improve immunization and vaccination coverage in the region and reduce the burden of these diseases.
Bono East Regional Director, Madam Paulina Appiah, in an interview with the media explained that the campaign is crucial in preventing the spread of infectious diseases as it will help parents to understand the importance of the ongoing vaccination program and send their children to the nearest health center for vaccination and immunization.
According to her, Measles and rubella although are killer diseases, they can be best controlled and prevented through vaccination and immunization.
“We all know that measles and rubella are killer diseases, from 1976 that government started vaccination, we released that aside malaria, measles was the second most reported cases of childhood diseases.
“Through the immunization, we were able to control it but due to the outbreak of the covid-19, our vaccination coverage reduced so a lot of the children born within that period were not vaccinated.” She said.
She further disclosed that, in addition with the measles vaccination, the Ghana Health Service through the Ministry of Health and the Government of Ghana, is also given the children Vitamin A capsules to protect them from any eye diseases.
“We have embarked on this program to vaccinate 9 month old babies to 59 month old children to protect them against measles and rubella and we also give them Vitamin A capsule.
“The Vitamin A capsule will boost their immune system, protect their respiratory system, and also protect their eyes.
“So we want cover all 9 months to 59 months children across the country so that we can protect our children from measles and rubella.” She told our reporter.
Madam Paulina Appiah continued, “This campaign is currently ongoing across the country and Bono East is not exception, as we speak, it ongoing in all the 11 districts in the Bono East region, we have setup static clinics in all our health centers were parents can bring their children for the immunization.
“We have also setup structures in all crèche and kindergartens in the region, aside that we have been able to sensitize the public about our outreach points where they can send their children to partake in this exercise.
“We have also setup a mobile team that we will be moving from house to house and through our market centers to vaccinate children in the region.
“We have indelible inks that we will use to identify those that we will have vaccinated and immunized.
The Bono East Regional Minster, Hon. Kwasi Adu Gyan, urged all and sundry to cease the occasion and get their children vaccinated to protect them from measles and rubella
“We want to get our kids prevented from these diseases, so this campaign is one of the preventive measures undertaken by the Ghana Health Service to make sure that our future generation will not be affected in anyway by any of these diseases
“The Ghana government under Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo and Dr. Bawumia are committed in providing quality healthcare to each and every citizen of Ghana.
” We are keen in improving the standard of education in the country but without good health, nobody can access education so access to health is very important.” He said.
Source: Elvisanokyenews.com
