95% immunization against polio in Kumasi

Kumasi, Dec 14, GNA - A total of 295,744 children less than 59 months in the Kumasi metropolis were immunized against poliomyelitis in an integrated maternal health campaign held from November 28-30. The figure represents 94.2 per cent coverage, Dr. Joseph Oduro, the Kumasi Metropolitan Director of Health Services, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview in Kumasi on Thursday.

The theme for the campaign was "Healthier Mothers and Children in Ghana's Jubilee Year and beyond."

He said 177,464 children were also covered in a deworming exercise representing 73 per cent while in Vitamin "A" supplementation, 266,196 of children were covered representing 95.4 per cent.

Dr Oduro said 59,155 children representing 103 per cent and 29,577 pregnant women also representing 39.4 per were presented with coupons to enable them receive Insecticide Treated Mosquito Nets which would be later presented to them as soon as they were available.

Dr. Oduro described the exercise as successful and attributed this to the social mobilization embarked by the directorate in addition to the adequate publicity given to the campaign as well as the hard work of health personnel and other volunteers recruited for the campaign. He urged mothers to consider immunization of their children against diseases as vital and always patronize it to improve their health status at all times.