The Eastern Regional Directorate of the Ghana Health Services (GHS) has targeted 252,000 children from one to four years to be vaccinated at this year’s first-ever nationwide National Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) campaign across the country.
This came to light at a media briefing organized by the Regional Directorate in Koforidua.
The briefing was used to educate journalists on the IPV campaign which starts today and ends on 25th February.
The Regional Deputy Director for Public Health Services, Albert Atobre Boateng in a presentation said, his outfit will ensure full coverage of the immunization across the 33 districts of the region.
He urged the community members including parents and guardians to patronize the vaccination exercise.
The Eastern Regional Director of Expanded Programme on Immunization, EPI, Richard Essien explaining the symptoms of poliomyelitis, said a person infected with polio can have fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness in the neck, pain and weakness in the limbs or other parts of the body.
He further stated that polio affects both children and adults but children under five years of age are most at risk.
Mr. Essien said polio virus is passed from person to person through faeces adding that one can be infected through contact with an infected person or drinking or eating food contaminated with faeces from an infected person.
He revealed that polio has no cure and therefore urged parents to take their children to the nearest vaccination post to be vaccinated.
