Sunyani, June 4, GNA - A total of 472,871 children aged below five years were immunized against poliomyelitis in the Brong-Ahafo Region during the just-ended immunization exercise. Mr. Opoku Agyemang, the Brong-Ahafo Regional Coordinator of the programme, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Sunyani the figure exceeded the target of 454,646. He said that 3,840 volunteers and 400 supervisors of health workers and some individuals undertook the exercise. The regional coordinator lauded the support given by the communities in previous exercises which, he said, had helped to reduce polio cases drastically in the region. Mr. Agyemang said the exercise was halted by the rains in some areas for some hours but the outcome was impressive and attributed it to effective campaigning to create public awareness and the co-operation of parents. He appealed to parents to regularly attend to their normal routine check centres so that there would be no need for the immunization exercises.

"A baby immunized during the exercise receives the medicine again at the routine check centre as a supplement without having any harmful effect on it", he said. He said lack of adequate means of transport and delays in the release of funds for the programme were the major challenges encountered during the exercise in some districts. Mr. Agyemang appealed to the general public to co-operate with the Ghana Health Service during the next exercise in October which will include other services like vitamin A and distribution of insecticide treated bed nets. 04 June 09