The Ministry of Health is to hold mass H1N1 vaccination exercises in several Senior High Schools (SHS) across the country especially in the Greater Accra, Central and Eastern Regions starting Thursday, April 8. This, the ministry says is to contain the treats of a possible outbreak of the influenza H1NI flu. The Minister of Health, Dr Benjamin Kombuor told Citi News that the current deployment plan has had to be changed because of the repeated reports of the flu in some Senior High Schools making them the immediate priority areas. “The decision basically is the one dealing with people in clusters particularly educational institutions. So what we are trying to do is that, we are trying to provide the World Health Organisation (WHO) deployment plan.” The increase and urgency of the pandemic has necessitated the move by the Health ministry, the minister hinted, “We had initially thought that we should move straight at the health personnel who will be involved in any major outbreak and [then] move to the children who are vulnerable but for the epidemiology we are seeing right now, we have to deal with just the health staff in the Central and Western Region who are going to take part in the vaccination in the schools immediately [they reopen].” Dr Kumbuor said that their major concern now is schools with reported cases of the flu and health personnel will start vaccination tomorrow. “We want to move particularly into institutions where there is evidence especially those in Achimota, Mfantsipim and those other schools so the health personnel in those other regions will be vaccinated immediately to start the vaccination in those schools. Possibly by tomorrow, the surveillance team is already preparing to deploy. We know some schools are not yet in session, those who are in session will commence immediately.” Story by Ernest Dela Aglanu/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana