Launch of the subnational vaccination campaign against yellow fever

The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has launched a subnational mass preventive vaccination campaign against yellow fever from 12 to 18 November in 81 districts in 14 regions of Ghana.

It is estimated that more than five million people between the ages of 10 and 60 would be vaccinated during the exercise in the 81 selected districts.

Dr. Winfred Ofosu, Eastern Regional Health Director, said that around 700,000 health workers and volunteers have been trained to perform the exercise under strict COVID-19 protocols in designated locations such as mosques, market areas, churches and schools. .

He explained that to ensure strict COVID-19 protocols, vaccination teams would not move from house to house as was done with the polio vaccination, but would instead be stationed at designated centers or any health facility.

He indicated that a risk assessment carried out in 2010 showed that all districts in Ghana were at risk of a yellow fever outbreak, hence the vaccination campaign in 2012 and 2018 in some districts, adding that vaccination was once in a lifetime and warned the public to keep your vaccination records well.

Dr. Ofosu explained that excluding pregnant women from the vaccination exercise did not mean that the vaccines were unsafe, but rather that it was a precautionary measure to protect the baby in the womb from any adverse reactions.

Dr Bless Batongoli, World Health Organization (WHO) yellow fever coordinator for Africa, said that the yellow fever outbreak was emerging in Africa and that it had the potential to become a public health emergency if not did nothing in particular against COVID-19.

He said that of the 47 endemic yellow fever countries in the world, 34 were in Africa, including Ghana, adding that no country could tackle it alone and assured the support of the WHO and other organizations allied to the combined effort for global health security.

According to him, Ghana had been recognized as having the highest yellow fever vaccination rate of 92 percent in the 2018 campaign, however there were disparities in district rates, with some reaching less than 80 percent and they called for the need to cover all selected districts fully in the next campaign.

Mr. Isaac Kwadwo Buabeng, Municipal Executive Director of Nsawam-Adoagyiri, who represented the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr. Eric Kwakye-Dafuor, received the first vaccination at a demonstration to launch the week-long campaign.