Mr Samuel Addo, Sunyani Municipal Officer for Disease Control, has appealed to parents and guardians to co-operate with health workers engaged in this year’s immunization exercise.

He said lack of cooperation and appreciation by parents and threats from dogs were some of the challenges usually encountered during such immunization exercises.

The three-day exercise which began on June 6 ends on June 8.

Mr Addo, speaking to the Ghana News Agency in Sunyani, said children from age zero to five would be immunized against poliomyelitis and provided with Vitamin “A’ Supplements.

He said even though polio cases have not been recorded since 1996 after the introduction of the exercise, there was the need to continue with the exercise, to protect children.

Mr Addo said parents who tried to prevent the health workers from immunizing their children because of their religious beliefs would be reported to the police for prosecution.

He said due to the importance attached to the exercise, GH?12,000 has been made available for the payment of allowances and fuel for health volunteers in the Municipality.

Mr Addo said 210 health workers and volunteers made up of 115 teams consisting of two people in a team, would move from house-to-house, to immunize every child in each community.

He said more than 34,000 children were immunized last year, and 31,000 children have been targeted for this year’s exercise.

Mr Addo said the health workers and volunteers had been issued with special cards to record any cases of Guinea Worm and Acute Flaccre Paralysis (AFP), a situation where children who can walk later become paralysed in the communities.

Mr Addo said anyone who could identify and report any of the two diseases to the nearest health centre would be rewarded with GH?200.