Saltpond (C/R), Dec. 5, GNA - The Mfantseman District Directorate of the Ghana Health Service exceeded its targets in the integrated maternal and child health immunisation held last week. The three-day national exercise to promote the health of children involved administering polio vaccines, Vitamin A supplement to children and postpartum, birth registration, distribution of Insecticide Treated Nets (ITN) and de-worming.

Briefing the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Saltpond, Miss Helena Tibiru, District Disease Control Officer, said the exercise was successful in the District.

Miss Tibiru said the District recorded 39,971 as against the targeted 35,358 in the polio immunisation. She said 35,781 children between the ages of 6 months to 59 months and 959 mothers who delivered between one to eight weeks were given Vitamin A supplement.

The Disease Control Officer said 19,428 children between two to five years were de-wormed as against a targeted 21,214. Miss Tibiru said 1,701 pregnant women were issued with coupons to collect ITN, which was not readily available at the time of the exercise, while 968 children aged between one day and 12 months were registered.

She said seven zones were created for the exercise instead of the normal five. Saltpond zone was split into Saltpond and Mankessim, while Anomabo zone was also split into Anomabo and Biriwa; the other zones were Otuam, Essuehyia, and Dominase. Mr Samuel Sosi, District Director of the Ghana Health Services, commended nurses and volunteers who conducted the exercise for their dedication.

He noted that the exercise coincided with the annual festivals of some communities in the area and also fell on a market day at Mankessim, a leading trading centre and said that might have accounted for the District exceeding its targets.