Health News of Monday, 15 June 2009

Source: GNA

Fear of over-dose medication is scaring mothers from polio immunisation

Fiapre (B/A) June 15, GNA - The Brong Ahafo Regional Health Directorate will soon intensify its social mobilization and education programmes on immunization, in order to curb the perception by some parents that their children are being given over doze medication. Dr. Aaron Offei, Regional Director of Ghana Health Services, who was addressing an over-view meeting with Municipal and District co-ordinators of the immunization programme at Fiapre, near Sunyani said: "reports reaching my office indicate that nursing mothers in some parts of the region have become fed-up with the frequent immunization exercises".

He called on the health personnel to step up their public education in order to cover all children who are due for immunisation. "We need to find another way of dealing with the issue. We must adopt measures that will let the people know the benefits of the immunization exercises."

Dr. Offei said the exercise had become necessary since eight cases of wild polio virus had been recorded in Ghana, through multiple migrations across the West African Sub-Region. He noted that vaccines given to children during the annual immunisation exercises would prevent them from being affected by polio and appealed to nursing mothers to patronise the exercise when it is due for the third round in October. 15 June 09