The Bono East regional Directorate of Ghana Health Service, has urged parents to take advantage of the Africa Vaccination Week to send their (children below 5 years) to the nearest health care centers for immunization and weighing to know their status.
Dr. Fred Adomako, the Bono East regional Director for the Ghana Health Service, made this remark as the directorate launched this year’s African vaccination and child health promotion week at Kintampo.
Dr. Adomako advised parents to “remember to ask the health worker about the growth of your child on each visit.”
Africa Vaccination Week is an annual event slated for every last week in April. It aims to increase awareness and highlight the importance of vaccination in preventing diseases across the African continent.
It is typically under the auspices of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Office for Africa and partners. During the week, various activities are carried out, including immunization campaigns, advocacy efforts and community engagement initiatives to promote vaccination coverage and access to vaccines.
This year’s commemoration is on the theme: “Healthy beginnings, Investing in every child’s future.”
“Most people are not aware of the outbreak of diseases such as yellow fever, measles or polio, the reason behind that is that everyday parents send their wards to hospitals, health centers and poly clinics and we also have our data of which we will visit every week.”
“Even this morning, we revealed our data about measles and yellow fever so we have put surveillance on these diseases because they can be prevented and that is what we intend to do.”
“So what we are doing this week is to intensify the sensitization of these diseases to the public because this is the time we have to make the public fully aware of the need to vaccinate their children on these diseases.” Dr. Fred Adomako told the media
Dr. Fred Adomako further revealed that, the Bono East Regional Health Directorate, has over 90% coverage rate in terms of sensitization on such diseases but they intend to intensify their coverage rate to get all children within the region covered.
He also encouraged parents to send their babies for immunization against childhood diseases within this time or every time to ensure that they are free from these child killer diseases.
He said all these diseases now have cure even malaria now has a cure for children.
“Our coverage rate is very high, it is more than 90% but we don’t want to miss any child so this week, our officers will visit the 11 districts in the region, engage with stakeholders while vaccinating the children.”
“There are many diseases that are preventable even malaria which is one of the five most deadly diseases has a vaccine to control it, diseases such as measles, polio and yellow fever all have vaccines to prevent it so it is the responsibility of every parent to ensure that their wards get the vaccines.”
He continued, “If you send your child to the health center, we will first weigh them to determine the rate at which they are growing, we will also advise the parents on the proper food for their child and also on the need for them to sleep under a treated mosquito net.”
Source: Elvisanokyenews.com
