Vaccination against polio begins in Yendi

The national immunization exercise against polio took off in the Yendi Municipality of the Northern Region on Thursday

The three-day exercise targets about 33,000 children under-five years in 263 communities in the municipality.

As part of the exercise, children between six months and 59 months will also receive doses of vitamin A capsules.

Speaking at a stakeholders meeting on the immunization exercise at Yendi on Thursday, Mr Awuni Mbabila, Yendi Municipal Disease Control Officer, said 167 health officers and volunteers and 33 supervisors had been deployed to undertake the exercise.

Mr Mbabila said the personnel would move from house to house, schools, markets, lorry parks among others to immunize all children, who fell within the targeted age group in the municipality.

Mr Mbabila said last year, over 33,000 children were vaccinated against polio in the municipality, and commended parents and other stakeholders for the success chalked and expressed the hope that it would be replicated in the ongoing exercise.

He appealed to parents to cooperate with the personnel carrying out the exercise because repeated doses of the polio vaccines were safe, adding that a child needed between 10 to 15 doses to be fully protected.