The Paediatric Society of Ghana(PSG) has disclosed that over 500 cases of measles have so far been recorded in the country due to the unavailability of essential vaccines.
The newly elected President of the Paediatric Society of Ghana, Dr Hilda Boye said the situation is quite worrying because the delay in the arrival of the vaccines can potentially escalate the disease.
“As we speak, we are looking at about 500 suspected cases of measles. So we are worried because we are just sitting and watching, and it is getting worse by the day and that is expected also because it is an infectious disease, and we really shouldn’t have come to this place in the first place.
“We know how bad these illnesses are, and we know that there is a solution and everybody had to sit up so that we don’t get to this point,” Dr Boye said on Tuesday, March 7.
Several parts of the country have been hit with a shortage of vaccines in the last few months despite claims by the National Health Insurance Authority that over GH¢70 million has been released for the procurement of the vaccines.
The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has attributed the shortage of vaccines used for routine immunisation of babies to the depreciation of the Ghana Cedi.
The shortage of vaccines has the potential to increase the vulnerability of children to the diseases the vaccines seek to protect them against.
The routine vaccination programme administers, Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG), a vaccine for tuberculosis (TB) disease; oral polio vaccine (OPV); Measles-Rubella; Meningitis and Diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (whooping cough).
Vaccines against polio, hepatitis B and Haemophilus influenza type B (DPT/Hep B/ Hib 1) and six infectious diseases that are particularly dangerous to babies are also among those administered.
The Health Minister, Mr Kwaku Agyemang-Manu is expected to brief Parliament today, March 7, on steps being taken to address the shortage of childhood vaccines in the country.
He was scheduled to appear in the House on Tuesday, February 28, but failed to show up.
As a result, the Minority got angry and lambasted him for what it described as ”disrespect for the House.”
In fact, a member of the Health Committee of Parliament, Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka described the conduct of the Minister as disrespectful.
The former Minority Chief-Whip asked for Mr Agyemang-Manu to be subpoenaed for not appearing before the House.
However, the Chairman of the Committee, Dr Ayew Afriyie ordered that the Minister appears today to brief the members.
Already, over 100 children in the northern part of Ghana are suspected to have contracted measles.
Dr Boye made this revelation on Citi TV on Tuesday, March 7.