Ghana to begin measles, rubella immunisation exercise

The Ghana Health Service (GHS) and its partners would soon start a campaign to immunise all children between the ages of nine months and 14 years against measles and rubella.

The exercise,which is free, is an attempt to protect the children from measles and rubella and reduce infant mortality to meet Millennium Development  Goal (MDG)  4 .

An official statement signed by Dr Cynthia Kwakye, Deputy Director of Public Health at the Greater Accra Regional Health Directorate of the (GHS) and copied the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on Thursday, said the exercise would begin on Wednesday, September 11 to Friday, September 20, 2013.

The statement said immunisation posts would be set up in all communities, schools, markets, health centres and hospitals to carter for all.

It said measles and rubella were dangerous and could kill children and urged the public to remember to take all children in the age bracket to the nearest immunisation post for the vaccination.

In Ghana, over 3,000 women are infected with the rubella virus while pregnant and approximately 700 infants are born with Congenital Rubella Syndrome  according to the statement.

Source: GNA