A total number of 16,369 children between the aged of zero to 59 months have received polio vaccination in the Keta municipality of the Volta Region during the second phase of the polio vaccination exercise.
The national polio programme was to help eliminate polio disease and prevent any sudden paralysis or limb weakness among children in the country.
Madam Dora Kugbonu, the Public Health Promotion Officer at the Keta Health Directorate, disclosed to the Ghana News Agency in an interview that a total number of 16,369 children, which represented more than 100 percent, were vaccinated against polio in the municipality from Thursday, November 21 to Sunday, November 24.
“We targeted to administer the polio vaccine to 14,730 children but with the hardworks and dedication of our health workers and volunteers, we were able to exceed the target by an additional 1,639, and I think this is a commendable and remarkable performance,” she said.
She also stated that the new number of the second phase of the vaccination represented 105.4 percent as compared to 14,790, which represented 104 percent of the first phase, which was held in October 17 to 20, this year.
Madam Kugbonu said that the second phase of the polio vaccination was the last for the year and commended health workers, volunteers, parents, teachers, and the public for the collaborative efforts and dedication for a successful and smooth exercise.
“Our studies and statistics have identified that a total number of 37 children between the ages of 12 to 59 months have been able to receive the polio vaccination for the first time, whilst children below 12 months have all participated earlier.”.
She said that all children who received the dosage in the first phase were also made to receive the vaccine during the second phase to strengthen their immune system against polio disease to prevent any spread.
Madam Kugbonu appealed to the public, especially parents, to always attend community health programmes such as weighing of children and visit the nearest health centres regularly whenever they identify any strange behaviours in children.
She explained to GNA that polio was dangerous and has no cure while vaccination was the only approved method to stop it, and the public should always help in vaccinating children again with polio and any other communicable diseases to prevent sudden sickness or unforeseen death.
She charged the public to always practice good personal hygiene to drive away other diseases, which include diarrhoea, malaria, among others.
Some parents GNA engaged after the vaccination exercise expressed satisfaction and thanked the government and Keta Health Directorate for the good initiatives to prevent polio and other diseases.
They pledged to participate fully in any other subsequent exercise to safeguard the lives of young children.
