S/R: Immunize Your Children Against Polio--Regional Minister Advocates

The Minister of the Savannah Region, Hon. Adam Salifu Braimah has charged parents in the region to take advantage of the ongoing polio immunization exercise to vaccinate their children against Polio.

Speaking exclusively to Bole based Nkilgi FM at the Damongo weekly market where immunization was ongoing, Hon. Salifu said the polio disease was completely eradicated in the country until cases of the disease were recorded in some parts of the Oti Region and the Savannah Region resulting in the immunization exercise fully sponsored by UNICEF and the World Health Organization ( WHO).

The Health Director for the Savannah Region, Dr. Chrisantus Kubio in an interview said the exercise is in its 4th day with a target of 8,000 children each in the Central and West Gonja districts expected to be immunized.

He said 80% of the targeted children in the Central Gonja district have been immunized whilst that of the West Gonja district have been immunized.

The Health Director further spoke about the challenges facing the process such as switching from moving from house to house to gathering at particular spots and locations such as markets, schools, etc to undertake the exercise in which parents are finding it difficult to move to the venues.

He further mentioned the use of injections on the arm which initially used to be dropping of the vaccines in the mouths of the targeted children with logistics such as vehicles to undertake the exercise being another major challenge.

The Chief field officer for UNICEF, Madam Margret Gwada praised the Ghana Health Services for the good work they are doing and encourage parents to continue with the routine immunization process after the exercise. She also said her outfit is very impressed with the exercise done so far.

Meanwhile, Nkilgi FM also had a word with the West Gonja District health director, Hajia Fuseina and this is what she said.said the injections are meant to protect children because they are our future leaders and that they are presently injection children from 1 year nine months to 3 years.