Yendi Municipal Health Directorate immunises 53,359 children against polio

The Yendi Municipal Health Directorate have immunised 53,359 children under- five against poliomyelitis and provided them with Vitamin A supplement.

The beneficiaries were also de-wormed during the Child Health Promotion Week and Second National Immunisation Day (NID) for 2011 in the Municipality.

The Municipal Disease Control Officer Mr Fusheini Mahama announced this when he met the local NID Committee Members in Yendi.

The theme for the week was: “Don’t lose your child to Anaemia or Polio, Act now.” 57 supervisors, 575 volunteers including health personnel carried out the exercise in 454 communities.

The Municipal Director of Health Services, Mrs Denisia Agong said anaemia was very common among children and women.

She said eight out of every 10 anaemic cases were children below five years.

She urged mothers to start breast feeding their children within 30 minutes after delivery and do exclusive breastfeeding for six months to prevent anaemia.

Mrs Agong asked mothers to enrich their children with food like beans, fish and eggs that contained protein and deworm their offspring who are more than two years old every six months.

Mothers should also immunise and protect their children against childhood diseases and guard against infections by encouraging the washing of hands with soap and water before handling food, preparing food, eating or feeding.

Mrs Agong also requested the people to keep their environment clean and sleep under insecticide treated net with their children to prevent malaria.

She appealed to parents to co-operate with the Birth and Deaths Officials to register their babies to give them legal recognition and social protection, saying the registration is free.

Source: GNA