By Francis Kwabena Cofie
Accra, May 21, GNA – The La Nkwntanang Madina Municipal Health Directorate has launched the 2025 edition of the Annual African Vaccination Week (AVW) and Child Health Promotion Week (CHPW) at the Kekele Hospital at Madina in Accra.
The launch was in collaboration with the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) to celebrate the annual event instituted in 2010 with other World Health Organisation (WHO) regions with the aim of promoting the use of all ages against diseases.
The Ministry of Health and Ghana Health Service (GHS) led in the observation of the week in Ghana, synchronizing it with the week-long CHPW also aimed at raising awareness and promoting child health services and survival.
The celebration was on the theme: “Every Child Deserves a Healthy Future, Invest in Your Child, Attend Weighing Regularly. “
Dr Emmanuel Asante, the Medical Superintendent of Kekele Hospital, who performed the launch stressed the importance of child health interventions, especially during the early stages of life.
He said it has been proven that such interventions ranging from vaccinations and nutritional advice to proper neonatal care play a crucial role in determining whether a child grows to achieve its full potential or not.
The services rendered during CHPW at all clinics and hospitals in the municipality included immunizations, vitamin ‘A’ supplementation, growth monitoring and birth registration, child nutrition and breast feeding and malaria prevention education.
Ms Dolly Agyeman, the Municipal Director for NCCE emphasized the need for advocacy and community engagement activities to enhance the vaccine uptake in the municipality and the Greater Accra Region as a whole.
She underscored the need for mothers, caregivers, health professionals and NCCE to use the week as an opportunity to boost awareness to protect children from deadly diseases.
Ms Agyeman said: “The child today is the leader tomorrow juxtaposing the theme for the launch with the working theme of the Commission this year: Ghana’s Future Our Collective Responsibility. “
She therefore called on all stakeholders to rise to the occasion since neglecting this responsibility could jeopardize a child’s long-term health and wellbeing.
GNA
Edited by Benjamin Menah