The Ministry of Health, Ghana Health Service (GHS), and partners are preparing towards the vaccination of the Human papillomavirus among adolescent girls this year, the Minister of Health has announced.
Mr Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, the Minister of Health, said this would provide long-lasting protection against cervical cancer among adolescent girls in the country. The Minister revealed this in a speech read on his behalf by Dr. Hafiz Adam Taher during the launch of the 2025 Child Health Promotion Week and the African Vaccination Week in Accra on Wednesday.
He said the GHS also planned to introduce Hepatitis B vaccination for newborns to help reduce the incidence of chronic Hepatitis B virus infections and to prevent perinatal transmission. The launch was on the theme: “Every Child Deserves a Healthy Future; Invest in Your Child. Attend ‘Weighing’ Regularly.“
The African Vaccination Week, which takes place in the last week of April, followed by Child Health Promotion Week in the second week of May, seeks to improve child health and increase access to essential immunization services. He said that based on the achieved benefits of vaccination in saving the lives of children, the Government, through the Ministry of Health, was accelerating efforts towards building a healthy population using the Life-Course Approach to vaccination.
“From the time of birth, vaccines play a critical role in safeguarding the survival of newborns and infants. Through the routine immunization schedule, Ghana provides protection against diseases such as Tuberculosis, Diphtheria, Pertussis, Measles, Polio, Meningitis, Yellow Fever, and Tetanus, among others. “This ensures that our youngest and most vulnerable population are shielded from these dangerous diseases. These early vaccinations lay the foundation for a lifetime of health and well-being, setting the stage for solid future growth and development,” the Minister stated.
Mr Akandoh urged parents and caregivers to actively participate in child health promotion activities for a brighter future and called on the business community to support by investing in such initiatives for a healthy child. Professor Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, the Acting Director-General of the GHS, said the study indicated that two-thirds of Ghanaian children did not eat well, adding that the narrative had to change.
He said over the years, the GHS had implemented many activities, including the elimination of childhood poliovirus since 2009, with certification of polio-free status accepted in 2007. Over 90 per cent coverage for most routine vaccines and near elimination of yellow fever epidemics and elimination of maternal and neonatal tetanus in 2011, he added.
The Acting DG said there had been a sharp decline in rotavirus carriers among children under two and a reduction in pneumococcal diseases due to the PVC vaccine without any cases since 2016. “There has been a drastic reduction of diphtheria and apoptosis through the pentavalent vaccine. However, our current infant mortality rate stands at 28.2 deaths per 1,000 life births. A significant improvement, but not enough.” Prof Kaba said.
He said, “We have come too far, we have seen so much, but there is still a lot to do, and called for the collaboration of all to secure the future of children.” Dr Manuel Dewey, Chief of Health UNICEF, speaking on behalf of development partners, said Ghana had demonstrated remarkable leadership in the African region, achieving 95 per cent routine immunization coverage (DPT3) and serving as a model for equity and innovation.
However, he said, maintaining this success required particular attention as Ghana transitioned out of Gavi’s co-financing mechanism, adding that the implementation of the Vaccine Financing Transition Roadmap was critical to avert stockouts and ensure sustainability. Dr Dewey urged the government to work on the development of sustainable financing mechanisms for immunization, to prevent retrogressing.
The event also witnessed essential health services being offered including Immunization, Vitamin A supplementation, deworming, growth monitoring, nutrition assessment, birth registration, provision, and promotion of long-lasting insecticide-treated nets (LLINs), and nutrition counseling. UNICEF also donated megaphones and aprons to be distributed to facilities to aid in community mobilization activities.
Source: GNA
