By Albert Futukpor
Tamale, Sept 2, GNA – The Ghana Health Service (GHS) on Thursday began the mass vaccination of children under five years in the Northern Region against the polio virus.
More than 400,000 children in the region are expected to be vaccinated during the four-day exercise, which would end on Sunday, September 4.
Dr Hilarius Abiwu, the Deputy Northern Regional Director of Health, in-charge of Public Health, who gave details of the exercise at a press briefing in Tamale, said it was to protect the children against the type two polio virus.
He said two environmental cases of the polio virus were recently recorded in the Tamale Metropolis and the Sagnarigu Municipality while a case was recorded in neighbouring Savannah Region.
He said it was, therefore, necessary to take steps to get every child vaccinated to protect them against the virus, hence the exercise.
Dr Abiwu said: “This is the first round and after a successful completion, we will return on October 06, 2022 to administer the second dose of the vaccines to the children.”
He encouraged parents and guardians to make their children available during the exercise to help get every child vaccinated to rid the communities of type two polio virus.
He emphasised that the vaccines were tested and approved by the appropriate health authorities, saying they were safe and efficacious to protect the children.
GNA