The Ghana Health Service is to begin a six-day preventive mass yellow fever vaccination from Thursday, 12 to 18 November 2020.
The nationwide exercise is targeted at persons aged between 10 and 60 years across the country.
Officials of the Ghana Health Service are hoping to vaccinate about five million people at the end of the exercise.
Dr. John Ekow Otoo, Bono Regional Deputy Director of Health Services, who revealed this to Asaase News assured the public, the vaccine is safe, effective and free.
“The new global strategy for the elimination of yellow fever epidemic aims at protecting at risk populations, preventing international spread and containing outbreak rapidly, there is the need to vaccinate the unreached at-risk population,” he said.
He added: “God willing there is going to be a preventive mass vaccination campaign in 85 districts and 14 regions in the country, Western and Western North have already been covered.”
Currently, there are 47 countries known to be yellow fever endemic with 34 in Africa and 13 in South America.
Risk assessment
A yellow fever risk assessment in 2010 following an outbreak in Ivory Coast, showed all municipalities and districts in the country are at risk. Ghana responded with rounds of vaccinations under the preventive mass yellow fever campaign.
In 2012, 15 districts were covered, with 139 districts remaining to be covered. In all 5.8 million people will be vaccinated across the country. Dr. Otoo said 224,138 people in four municipalities and districts are expected to be vaccinated in the Bono Region alone. These are Sunyani, Berekum East and West and Banda municipalities.
“There will be fixed post teams and mobile teams doing the vaccination, anyone living in these four districts, who is between the ages of 10-60 years is expected to visit any of these posts or any health centre and make sure he or she receives the vaccination within the period of the exercise.”
Fred Dzakpata
* Asaase Radio 99.5 – tune in or log on to broadcasts online.
Follow us on Twitter: @asaaseradio995
#asaaseradio #TVOL
