The Health Director of the Effia-Kwesimintsim Municipality, Mrs. Joyce Bagina, has urged all parents and guardians to ensure their wards receive the newly introduced second dose of the polio vaccine.
According to Mrs. Bagina, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has rolled out the second dose of the inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV2), which is to be administered to children when they reach seven months of age.
She explained that although the IPV2 is new to many parents, it is highly effective and plays a crucial role in the country’s efforts to completely eradicate polio.
The IPV2 is an injectable vaccine that enhances the immunity of children more than the oral version.
“This second dose is very important in giving our children the full protection they need against poliovirus,” Mrs. Bagina emphasised.
She made this announcement during a press briefing aimed at officially informing the public, particularly parents and caregivers, about the upcoming IPV2 campaign in the municipality.
She encouraged all parents to cooperate with health professionals to ensure a successful exercise.
“We’re pleading with all parents and caregivers, they should try and send their children for weighing from birth until they reach five years. Apart from vaccination, we assess how the child grows.
“Vaccination is also part; we administer it to children up to two years, and then they’re done,” she urged.
The health director assured the public that the vaccine is safe and that health workers are well-prepared to carry out the exercise efficiently across the country.
She emphasised the importance of taking vaccinations seriously and urged parents to ensure their children are weighed regularly from birth to take full advantage of the second dose of the IPV2.
