QUEENS TRAINED TO SUPPORT IMMUNISATION (PAGE 11, JAN 20, 2011)

A ONE-DAY training workshop to equip queens and their elders with skills and knowledge to serve as advocates of the expanded programme on immunisation services in their communities, has ended at Ho in the Volta Region.
The workshop, under the sponsorship of the World Health Organisation (WHO), was organised by the Ho Municipal Directorate of Health. It attracted 45 participants selected from the Ho Municipality, who were equipped with the needed skills to encourage nursing mothers and care takers to send their children for regular immunisation.
In his welcome address, Dr Winfred Ofosu, Deputy Director in charge of Public Health, described the country’s immunisation programme as, “a powerful tool, very beneficial and critical to child survival” and pointed out that deaths resulting from childhood diseases have reduced considerably, due to immunisation.
He said the orientation was to get the views of participants on how best to improve on immunisation services in their communities and pointed out that “with your support, we will ensure that children live”.
He said because some child-care givers were not sending their children for immunisation, some children started but did not complete the immunisation schedule in the districts, and for that matter the region was not meeting respective targets.
He said queens being influential people in the communities could influence people, especially mothers, to have their children immunised.
He announced that for the past eight years, there had been no reported death from measles and poliomyelitis is on the verge of being eradicated whilst under age five mortality rate had reduced significantly from 111/1000 live births in 2003 to 80 in 2008.
Mr Godwin Afegbe, the Volta Regional Disease Control Officer said without immunisation, there was the threat of children dying from childhood diseases such as measles, whooping cough and tetanus.
Mr Afegbe noted that after a 10-year campaign by the WHO, small pox had been eradicated since 1997.
He, therefore, called on the participants to ensure that children were not denied the benefits of immunisation since it was a positive step to keep them healthy.