Ghana makes significant gains in controlling measles – Officer

Ghana has made significant gains in controlling measles for the past 15 years because no child has died of the disease within the period and the number of children who contracted it also reduced drastically.

Madam Nana Ama Asirifi, the Brong-Ahafo Regional Health Promotion Officer indicated this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Sunyani.

She said the introduction of immunisation against childhood killer diseases like measles had improved the health of children in the country.

Madam Asirifi however expressed worry that measles outbreak continued to occur in some parts of the country and mostly affected children under five years, adding that over 40 per cent of negative measles cases tested positive for rubella.

She therefore urged mothers to cooperate with immunisation officials in the upcoming vaccination exercise against measles/rubella from the Wednesday 17 to Monday 22 October for their children of nine months to under five years to be immunised to sustain the gains the nation had made.

She said the immunisation would take place at health centres and a number of temporary immunisation places set up in schools, markets, churches, bus stations and all communities in the country.

Source: GNA