By Yussif Ibrahim, GNA
Kumasi, Feb. 21, GNA – Dr Emmanuel Tinkorang, the Ashanti Regional Director of Health Services, has launched the “2020 Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) Catch-up Campaign”, with a call on parents and other stakeholders to help make the exercise successful.
The exercise seeks to mop up for vaccination, all children born in 2016, 2017 and January-March 2018, since this group of kids were still susceptible to the poliovirus two, because they had not been vaccinated.
The poliovirus type two can cause Poliomyelitis with accompanying paralysis in infected children.
Under the exercise which began on February 19 and would end on February 25, the targeted children totaling 446,874 in 43 districts in the Ashanti Region, would be vaccinated to receive immunity against the poliovirus type two.
The Regional Director said two cases had so far been reported in the Region this year, after Ghana declared polio-free about 12 years go and the objective of the IPV catch-up campaign, was to increase population immunity against the poliovirus type two, the causative virus.
Mr. Afriyie Asubonteng, the Regional Disease Control Officer, announced that 648 teams, 111 team supervisors, 1,296 volunteers, 648 vaccinators, 516 district supervisors and 86 regional supervisors, would be deployed for the exercise.
He said unlike the previous exercises, where the children were given oral immunisation, this time, they would be given injections and called on mothers to cooperate with the team to achieve 100 per cent results.
GNA