Cape Coast, Oct. 24, GNA - The Ministry of Health has targeted a total of 411,475 children up to five years old in the Central Region, to be immunized against poliomyelitis, in the first round of the National Immunization Programme, which takes off nationwide, on Friday.

The Gomoa district, has the highest figure of 52,854 children to be immunised during the three-day exercise, with the Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese district having the least of 20,747 children.

Dr Samuel Quarshie, senior medical officer in charge of public health In an interview with the GNA in Cape Coast, said everything was ready for the smooth take off of the programme.

He said immunisation strategies have been reviewed and groups tasked to undertake the exercise have been provided with maps of communities they would be working in to ensure a wider coverage. Dr Quarshie added that supervision and monitoring of the exercise have also been intensified to ensure the success of the programme. He said a total of 3,430 volunteers were involved in the exercise and that more than 99 per cent of children in the region would be immunised when the exercise was completed.

Dr Quarshie, however, expressed concern about frequent power outages in some communities, which he said might affect the storage of the vaccines and advise parents to send the children for immunisation against the disease.

He explained that the exercise, was a supplementary to routine immunizations, and stressed the need for mothers to patronise the regular immunization programmes.