H1N1 Vaccination Extended To Health Workers Who Treated KUMACA Students

Health personnel who attended to HIN1 flu-infected students of Kumasi Academy are to be vaccinated beginning Friday.

Staff of KNUST Hospital -- where three nurses contracted the disease -- as well as Komfo Anokye, Manhyia and Kumasi South Hospitals, will receive the GC Flu vaccine.

Students and teachers of KUMACA underwent the process yesterday as they prepare for Christmas break Friday.

Ashanti Regional Deputy Director of Public Health says those who were not covered will be taken care of today.

Dr Yeboah Ewudzi explains the rationale for vaccinating health workers.

"We will want to also vaccinate the health staff in the four major hospitals where the students were reporting. KNUST Hospital had the highest number of students reporting, close to 70 students and three of the nurses even got the flu," he said.

He added that "they [nurses] tested positive and they were admitted there for two-three days; because of that, we are also going to vaccinate the health staff in these hospitals."

Meanwhile, an exercise to disinfect and decontaminate Kumasi Academy of viruses and bacteria has ended.

Classrooms, dormitories, assembly and dining halls as well as bathrooms were covered.

It is meant to prevent the spread of pathogens and other bacteria responsible for diseases which claimed four lives and left dozens hospitalized early this month.

Pathos AIB Limited which undertook the exercise used natural hospital grade disinfectants and clinically-proven natural products with no side effects on humans.

Felix Danso is Managing Director. He says: "One of our products which we are using here for this outbreak is Medicare. It is natural hospital grade disinfectant which has been certified by the Food and Drugs authority. Noguchi has done extensive research on it. You can talk about the Accra Veterinary lab to be effective dealing with Bird Flu and even Swine Flu. Our product goes to the extent of dealing with H1N1."

According to Mr Danso, the use of clinically-proven and natural products comes with no side effects to teachers and students on campus because they contain no harmful elements.

"That's how natural our product is. You can even disinfect whilst the students are there unlike other products that are clearly written corrosive, toxic; ours is natural as natural as it can be used on the presence of a baby without any adverse effect but yet deal with the pathogen," he said.