Mr Edem Afeeva, the Director of the Ayawaso West Municipal Directorate of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), said there is the need to ensure that all Ghanaian children are vaccinated, regardless of their geographic location.
Mr Afeeva underscored that equitable access to vaccination was a fundamental right and a critical component of safeguarding public health, especially in the face of emerging and re-emerging diseases.
He made this known during a child health promotion programme held in collaboration with the Ghana Health Service (GHS) in Accra on the theme: “Every Child Deserves a Healthy Future; Invest in Your Child by Attending Weigh-In Regularly.”
The programme is aimed at intensifying efforts to enhance the uptake of child vaccination and health services among parents and caregivers, particularly those with children under five years of age.
He touched on the far-reaching benefits of immunisation for children, families, and communities, emphasizing that vaccinating every child in Ghana would significantly reduce the burden of vaccine-preventable diseases.
He said immunisation not only protects children from life-threatening illnesses but also reduces the time parents and caregivers spend away from work caring for sick children, adding that when children remain healthy and consistently attend school, their academic performance improves, contributing to their overall development.
The NCCE Director explained that widespread vaccination protected vulnerable individuals who might not be eligible for certain vaccines, including newborns, noting that routine immunisation could contribute to limiting the spread of antimicrobial resistance by reducing the need for antibiotics, which were often used in treating vaccine-preventable infections.
Quoting the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Mr Afeeva cautioned that failure to immunise children undermined their fundamental right to the highest attainable standard of health and access to healthcare facilities.
Dr Akua Adutwumwaa Boamah Addy, the Ayawaso West Municipal Director of Health, and her team also engaged the over 300 participants on the rationale behind the timing of various childhood vaccines.
Dr Addy encouraged the caregivers to remain proactive and interested in matters of child health, emphasising the critical role that each vaccine plays at specific stages of a child’s development, and urged caregivers to ensure full vaccination coverage for their children.
