New Polio Vaccine In The Offing

Through the Extended Programme on Immunisation (EPI), the Ministry of Health (MoH) will introduce the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) into the routine immunisation schedule of the country from June 1.

The IPV, given through injection, is expected to be administered together with the oral polio vaccine to children aged 14 weeks and above.

The move is expected to consolidate the gains the country has made so far in its immunisation programme and achieve polio eradication.

The Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, who announced this at the inauguration of the National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NITAG) in Accra, said there has been tremendous reduction in morbidity and mortality among children since the country's EPI introduction in 1978.

“It is worthy to note that since 2003, Ghana has not recorded any death due to measles, no case of wild polio virus has been reported since the last outbreak in 2008 and we have eliminated neonatal tetanus since 2011,” he revealed.

He, however, observed that the diseases may reoccur if the country slacks in its immunisation strategies, suggesting a sustained effort in closing the country's immunisation gap.

“Smallpox was the first disease to be eradicated and polio is now being targeted for eradication,” he maintained.

He was optimistic that the constitution of NITAG, which is required to make important technical recommendations that will further contribute to the decline in vaccine preventable disease burden, has been constituted.

In his presentation on the country's immunisation progress, Dr George Bonsu, manager of the EPI, pointed out that Ghana has 93 percent vaccine coverage for 13 vaccine preventable diseases.

He said 50 polio campaigns using the routine OPV have been undertaken so far, with nearly 200 million doses of OPV administered.

Dr Bonsu, however, indicated that an estimated one in 10 infants do not receive the first dose of measles rubella vaccine.

“Measles vaccination although increased over the years plateaued from 2008 to 2017 within an interval of 90.2 and 89.4 percent,” he said.

He, thus, disclosed that with the advent of new vaccines, more technical support is needed to scale up national immunisation coverage.