By Opesika Tetteh Puplampu
Sege, May 13, GNA – The Ada West District Health Directorate has launched the African Vaccination, and Child Health Promotion Weeks respectively, outlining its comprehensive approach to child health through a ‘Minimum Package of Interventions’ to address existing challenges that demands urgent attention.
Dr Farida Njelba Abdulai, the Deputy Director of Public Health, Greater Accra Region, launching the vaccination week, disclosed that the theme: “Every Child Deserves A Healthy Future; Invest In Your Child. Attend Weighing Regularly,” emphasised the collective commitment of stakeholders to ensure that every child had access to life-saving vaccines and health services.
Dr Maxwell Onassis-Fiadjoe, the District Director of Health Services-Ada West, noted that the African Vaccination Week and Child Health Promotion Week were vital initiatives aimed at raising awareness about the importance of immunisation and promoting child health across communities.
He said the district had achieved impressive vaccination coverage across most antigens in its immunisation programme, stating that “our children are now better protected against polio, tuberculosis, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae type B, and pneumococcal diseases”.
Dr Onassis-Fiadjoe disclosed that Ada West, like other districts in the Greater Accra Region, has begun implementing the second dose of Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV2), which would be administered to children at seven months of age, and it coincides with the malaria vaccine that has been successfully implemented in other regions.
During the Child Health Promotion Week, the district’s health officials would implement a ‘Minimum Package of Interventions’ across the district, which includes Vitamin A Supplementation, Growth Monitoring and Nutrition, Vaccination, Deworming, Birth Registration, Insecticide Treated Net promotion, Food Demonstration, Health Promotion and Education, and Reproductive Health (family planning) promotion.
Mr Samuel Etsey, the District Director for the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the commission was committed to partnering with the Ghana Health Service (GHS) to educate communities through churches, mosques, schools, and identifiable groups on the importance of urging parents and guardians to take full responsibility for their children’s immunisation.
Dr Stephen Arthur, Ada West District Director, Ghana Education Service, urged parents to avail their wards for the necessary vaccination to protect the future of the children.
GNA
LS/CAA