The Ghana Health Service has indicated that the Volta Region has recorded increasing cases of Rubella and measles outbreaks.

This has been blamed on vaccine hesitancy in the region where several children within the targeted group were left unimmunized in mid-2024 comprising 7,865 children for Penta 3 and 9,459 for Measles/Rubella 2, using these vaccines as proxy.

The Volta Regional Deputy Director of Health Services, Dr. Senanu Kwasi Djokoto revealed this at the stakeholder engagement in Ho.

“In recent times Ghana has recorded measles outbreaks in some of its districts which includes district in the Volta Region. Per data available, Rubella cases are also on the rise.

"It should be noted that the region has recorded eight (8) confirmed cases of measles this year, although below the epidemic threshold. To halt the spread of these diseases, national mass campaigns will be organized in all the districts in Ghana, including the 18 districts in the Volta Region from 2nd October to 6th October 2024”, he said.

He therefore entreated parents to make available their children to be vaccinated, adding “that our inability to vaccinate all children from the vaccine-preventable diseases has consequences.”

Dr. Djokotocalled for a stakeholder collaboration toward increasing vaccination coverage in the region, by tackling misinformation and disinformation which had led to vaccine hesitancy and low vaccination rates in his jurisdiction.

He further noted that after 11 COVID-19 vaccination campaigns, only 538,195 persons out of the 1,113,194 have been fully vaccinated by September 2024, representing 48.3% of the targeted population in the Volta Region.

“When the wrong information goes ahead of people, trying to correct it and giving them the right information to generate a demand is always difficult. We have been through this cycle over and over again and it looks like things have gotten better over time.

“So people are encouraged to continue to accept the COVID-19 vaccination in their respective facilities close to them. This would enable us to get to that health immunity and also protect us. Globally we have seen an upsurge in cases”, he said.

Dr. Djokoto added that COVID-19 vaccination would be made routine to make it accessible to especially the vulnerable in society, such as pregnant women, people above 65 years, and persons with underlying medical conditions, among others.