Deputy Western Regional Director of Health, Dr Kwaku Anin Karikari, has urged parents and guardians to ensure that children under five years were immunized in the third round of the Integrated Maternal and Child Health (IMCH) Campaign. "Do not hide the children from being immunized against polio because of religious or cultural reasons," he said at a media briefing in Takoradi on Wednesday to mark the beginning of the vaccination from November 12-14, 2009. He said free polio vaccination would be administered to newly born babies and children up to 59 months; while children from six years to 59 months as well as lactating women within eight weeks after delivery would be given vitamin A supplement during the campaign. According to Dr Karikari, children from two years to five years would be de-wormed. He said that the vaccination would be done from house to house as well as at pre and basic schools. Dr Karikari said the rationale for the 2009 IMCH campaign is to kick polio out of Ghana and accelerate progress towards achieving Millennium Development Goals four and five. He said vaccination coverage in the country has reached 79 per cent and emphasized the need for parents to cooperate with volunteers when they come to their houses. Source: GNA