50% of children born in Ho not immunised

Dr. Senanu Kwesi Djokoto, Municipal Director of the Ghana Health Service has noted that less than 50 per cent of children born in the Ho Municipality got immunised against vaccine preventable diseases.

He said the Municipal area recently recorded two neonatal tetanus cases, which resulted in one fatality and said the city sat on a “health time-bomb”.

Dr Djokoto, who was addressing a World Immunisation Day ceremony organised by the Ghana Health Service (GHS) in collaboration with the Ghana Coalition of NGOs for Health (GCNH) at Hodzo near Ho said, though diseases such as Poliomyelitis, Measles, and Tuberculosis had been eradicated, the Ho Municipal area risked recording those outbreaks again due to negligence.

He said vaccines were necessary to ward off diseases and charged people in the Municipality to take the issue of immunisation seriously and commended efforts of the GCNH in health education.

Dr Djokoto charged GCNH to begin sensitising the public on the yet to be clinically tested Malaria vaccine for a smooth campaign.    

Mr Victor Attah Ntumi, Regional Chairman, GCNH said donor funding for vaccination in the country would be withdrawn by 2020 and that the Coalition was appealing to government to put measures in place to ensure the exercise continued.  

He said vaccines boosted strength and enhanced the mental capabilities of children and called on all to spread the news about immunisation.

Togbe Akpasu VIII, Paramount Chief of Hodzo appealed to the Ho Municipal Assembly to provide toilet facilities to improve sanitation in the area.

Source: GNA