By Nelson Ayivor
Aflao (VR), Mar 18, GNA – The Ketu South Municipal Health Directorate in collaboration with health facilities within the Municipality has begun the mass immunisation of children between the ages of nine months and 5 years against Measles-Rubella and other childhood killer-diseases.
The exercise was rolled out on Friday after the directorate took delivery of the childhood vaccines which has run out of stock in all health facilities across the country since the last quarter of 2022.
Mr David Agbokpe, Ketu South Municipal Director of Health told the GNA during a visit to some of the communities, where the exercise was ongoing on Friday, that his outfit took delivery of 3500 doses of the vaccines, which was enough to reach all the affected communities within the Municipality.
He said there were some settler communities on the outskirts of the Aflao town, where some cases were recorded and so “we are actually starting the exercise from those communities so as to prevent a spread to other communities.”
He said the Municipality recorded 16 cases of Measles between the last quarter of 2022 and between January and March this year, which have been treated, adding that there were currently no new cases after some more samples were taken, which tested negative.
“We are also taking advantage of this exercise to immunise eligible children against other vaccine preventable diseases,” he said.
Mr Agbokpe commended all staff and nurses under the directorate, especially Mr Ernest Alignoi, the Municipal Disease Control Officer and his team for their commitment to the exercise, which is expected to last until March 24.
He said some 1,717 babies were immunised at the end of day one.
Imam Bashiru Ibrahim, headmaster of Shabaniyyatu English/Arabic School at Ziorme a predominantly Muslim suburb of Aflao, where mothers converged to have their babies immunised, thanked the Municipal Health Directorate for the exercise and government for providing the vaccines, which he described as timely as he observed the situation was a bit scary at the time of the shortage of the vaccines.
He called for co-operation from all parents and residents towards a smooth and successful exercise.
Imam Ibrahim attributed the large turnout of mothers and their babies for the exercise to the directorate’s earlier community engagement and radio sensitisation exercises and called for more education on issues of public health going forward.
GNA