The government is making every effort and available resource to expedite the entry into the nation of the regularly scheduled childhood immunization vaccinations that are in limited supply.
During the fourth quarter of last year, three of the 13 vaccinations required for regular child immunization have been in limited supply.
These are the oral poliomyelitis vaccine (OPD), the Measles-Rubella vaccine, and the Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) tuberculosis (TB) vaccine.
At a news conference in Accra yesterday, the Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, offered the assurance that the scarcity was only due to interruptions in the world's supply chains and not because the government owed the Global Vaccine Alliance or GAVI.
He said that from June of last year until the present, the government has given the Global Alliance for Vaccination and Immunization around GH72 million (GAVI).
"Any rumor that the nation owes GAVI money and this is why there is scarcity is completely untrue. He argued, "We owe GAVI nothing.
"It is true that since the fourth quarter of 2022, there have been some vaccination shortages throughout the nation. BCG, Measles-Rubella (MR), and oral polio vaccine are the vaccinations that are in low supply (OPV). There is a statewide scarcity, according to Mr. Agyeman Manu.
Context
The minister’s assurance yesterday comes after the Daily Graphic in its Thursday, February 23, 2023 edition broke the news about the widespread shortage of some routine immunizationmunisation vaccines in the country.
The condition was thought to have the potential to make youngsters more susceptible to the illnesses that the immunizations aimed to protect them from.
Reporters from the Daily Graphic visited primary healthcare institutions around the nation to confirm the reality of the situation, which was corroborated by moms, directors, and carers.
Measures
The minister stated that the Ministry of Health had been working with UNICEF and other partners to ensure that the nation has appropriate vaccination stockpiles despite the worldwide issue.
As sad as it is, the current measles vaccine scarcity is a sign of the steadily declining worldwide measles immunization output since the start of the COVID-19 epidemic, according to Mr. Agyeman Manu.
The lack of some kid vaccinations and its impact on the nation's vaccination program has caused the Ministry of Health grave worry. The ministry, partners, carers, and population are all very concerned about this, the minister said.
He said, "We are aware of the consequences of the shortages, including illness outbreaks and repercussions on child survival.
He claimed that despite the difficulties, the administration had taken all necessary steps to guarantee that the nation had acquired appropriate stockpiles within the following few weeks.
no measles fatalities
However, Mr. Agyeman Manu clarified that the lack of immunization had not resulted in any fatalities from measles.
It's critical to dispel the false notion that measles deaths have occurred recently in the nation. For the avoidance of doubt, the current increase in measles infections has not resulted in any fatalities.
While we register incidents annually, there haven't been any deaths since 2003, according to the minister of health.
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