GHS Targets Over 5m Children For Measles-Rubella Vaccination

Director General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, has disclosed that the service is targeting over 5 million children between nine months and 59 months across all 16 regions for the Measels-Rubella vaccination campaign.

He said the Measles-Rubella vaccination and Vitamin A supplementation campaign is aimed at reducing measles and rubella disease by ensuring that all eligible children receive the vaccine.

He said this at the launch of the integrated measles-rubella vaccination and vitamin A supplementation campaign on the theme “Measles And Rubella Kill; Vaccinate Your Child Now For Goodlife”.

The campaign begins today October 2, 2024 and will end October 6, 2024.

Dr. Kuma-Aboagye explained that measles which is known for its highly contagious nature can cause severe complications such as, pneumonia, blindness and even death.

He said Rubella, on the other hand, can have devastating consequences on pregnant women, leading to miscarriage or severe congenital cell diseases in newborns.

“So our goal with this integrated vaccination campaign is to reach every eligible child in all corners of the country, especially the hard-to-reach areas, to provide them with the necessary immunity to fight against these diseases,” he said.

According to him, the campaign will complement their efforts to strengthen the routine immunisation system to ensure a sustainable delivery of health services across the country.

He added that all vaccination teams are well trained in infection prevention measures to maintain the highest safety standards throughout the campaign.

He said the vaccine that would be administered is safe, highly effective and free, stating that, over 10,000 vaccination teams will be deployed across the country with both medical needles and vitamin A supplement to ensure every eligible child is vaccinated.