The Volta Regional Deputy Director of Health Services in charge of Public Health, Dr Kwesi Senanu Djokoto has called on stakeholders in his jurisdiction to contribute to making the second round of the polio vaccination campaign a success.

The campaign scheduled between November 21 and November 24 aims to administer the polio vaccine to all children under five years old nationwide in a bid to eradicate the disease.

"We are calling on everyone in the region to support this effort. By vaccinating all children under five, we can raise their immunity and stop the spread of polio," he urged at a stakeholders’ engagement in Ho.

Dr Djokoto highlighted the importance of collective action in achieving the campaign's objectives.

"We want a polio-free Ghana, and one of the measures we must take is immediate action whenever we detect any poliovirus in circulation—whether in the environment or the human population. Without this, we cannot eradicate polio."

He said the first round of the vaccination campaign in the Volta Region, conducted from October 17 to October 20, 2024, achieved an impressive 98% coverage rate.

According to Dr Djokoto, this was made possible by the collaborative efforts of various stakeholders, including community leaders, health workers, and religious organizations.

"With the help of all stakeholders, we reached 98% of our target using strategies like going house-to-house, school-to-school, mosque-to-mosque, and church-to-church. Everywhere we could find children, we vaccinated them," he said.

However, he acknowledged the challenges of resistance from certain parents and religious groups but assured that they have since been addressed.

"We’ve engaged these groups successfully, and we’re confident that we’ll achieve even better results in this second round”, he said.

Dr Djokoto emphasized the highly infectious nature of polio and the need for vigilance to prevent a resurgence, urging parents to cooperate with health workers during the campaign, and reassuring them of the safety and efficacy of the vaccine.

"Polio is highly infectious. To keep our children safe and prevent its spread, we must ensure they are vaccinated. This vaccination is safe, effective, and vital to raising immunity," he stressed.

He announced that as part of Ghana’s broader strategy to eradicate polio, a second dose of the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) would be introduced.

He said the first dose of IPV which has been part of Ghana’s immunization schedule since 2018, was administered at 14 weeks old, while the second dose will now be administered at seven months.

"Starting November 28, we will introduce the second dose of IPV. This fits seamlessly into the vaccination schedule and will not inconvenience anyone. We are ensuring that all vaccines are safe, as they have always been," Dr Djokoto explained.

He appealed to all stakeholders - parents, guardians, traditional and religious leaders, and political actors - to join forces with the Ghana Health Service to ensure the campaign's success.