By Philip Tengzu
Wa (UW/R), Sept. 06, GNA – Dr Alex Bapula, the Wa Municipal Director of Health, has called on the media to lead the campaign for the Novel Oral Polio Vaccine Type two (nOPV2) campaign to ensure the success of the immunisation exercise.
He described the media as important stakeholders wielding the power to advocate, sensitise and educate the public on the vaccination exercise and to motivate caregivers to actively participate in the exercise, hence the need for their support in the nOPV2 campaign.
Dr Bapula made the call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Wa on the polio immunisation campaign, which commenced in the Municipality on Thursday.
“We need the support of the media in this campaign because in our homes, our mothers are always listening to you; some even have more than one radio set listening to all the stations,” he said.
“Let them know the importance of this exercise and the need for them to get involved and have their children within the age category vaccinated.”
Children between 0-59 months are the target group to ensure they resist these infections and are protected.
He said the country had recently recorded some wild polio viruses in some regions including the Northern, Savannah and Ashanti, necessitating the need for immunisation.
Dr Bapula, therefore, urged mothers, guardians and caregivers to avail their children less than five years (0-59 months) for the polio vaccination.
The exercise is in two phases; the first is scheduled for September 1 to 4, while the second phase will start from October 6 to 9, 2022.
He said the vaccine was safe and effective at protecting children against lifelong polio paralysis hence the need to get all the children in the municipality vaccinated.
Dr Bapula cautioned that polio paralyses children for life and could also lead to death, hence the importance of the immunisation.
The vaccination teams, comprising qualified health professionals, would move from house to house for the exercise.
He urged parents, guardians and caregivers to report any side effect in the children after taking the dose to the health facility, but was quick to add that there had been no evidence of side effect of the vaccine.
GNA