More than 58,000 children, below five years, in the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo regions are expected to be vaccinated against malaria every year.
Dr Mrs. Paulina Appiah, the Deputy Director of Public Health at the Regional Directorate of Health, said, by this, more than 69,000 malaria cases among children in that age group would be averted.
Speaking at the launch in Sunyani of the Malaria Vaccine Implementation Trial to be conducted in the three regions, Dr Appiah said malaria contributed about 70 percent of all deaths among children under five and appealed to mothers to bring their babies for the vaccination trial.
The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has selected Bono East, Bono, Ahafo, Volta, Central and parts of the Upper East regions to pilot the malaria vaccine implementation trial.
On the theme: “Malaria Vaccine for Additional Protection,” the vaccination trial is being conducted in 14 districts and municipalities in the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo regions.
According to the GHS, the (RTSS Vaccine) has gone through various trials for more than 32 years and it has been approved by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Ghana Food and Drugs Authority (FDA).
Dr Appiah expressed regret that despite numerous malaria control and prevention interventions put in place by the GHS, Ghana was counted among the top 20 malaria burden countries around the globe.
She said malaria cases remained unstable in the three regions and though reported cases dropped from 32 percent in 2014 to 19.4 percent in 2017, it jumped to 20.3 percent in 2018.
Dr. Appiah said under the trial the beneficiary children would go through four doses - from six, seven, nine and 24 months - to make the vaccine efficacious, and advised parents and nursing mothers to ensure that their babies went through the doses.
She said vaccination remained an effective method of disease prevention and control and called on the media to help intensify public education on the programme to achieve the required benefits.
Aside the vaccine trial, she said the GHS would continue with the distribution of mosquito treated nets and indoor residual spraying exercise.
Source: GNA
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Why are we in a rush,Leaders should have sometime and verify so that we wont have any case after this vaccine...these kids are our future leaders oooo. They should test it with the white military men in African countries first. SOMEONE IS CHOPPING MONEY SOMEWHERE TO DESTROY A SOUL...GOD IS WATCHING
You are going to perform clinical trials on innocent babies? Parents you are warned oooo
Its important Ghanaian seek knowledge on technical issues before commenting on them. The programmatic considerations that led to Ghana, Malawi and Kenya been selected for the pilot of the MVIP is viable and should be supported. The vaccine is not a 1st line intervention for fighting malaria but rather to reduce morbidity asscociated with severe form of malaria. Hence countries with successes in the 1st lines of prevention such as distribution and use of ITNs, IPT for pregnant women and other prophylactic treatments are the ideal settings for piloting such important, safe and useful vaccine. SO it has nothing to savannah, drier whatever. @Asem beba dabi....if u need information on the epidemiology of malaria and the mosquitoe that transmits as a basis of taking programmatic decisions kindly talk to experts or seek entomological articles to better inform. Again IT IS NOT TRUE that the vaccine has not been tested, it has gone through all the 3 stages of clinical trials and approved globally and FDA in Ghana as well so check ur facts please. Kintampo Research center in Brong Ahafo was one of the numerous centers used around 2007/2008 for that trial. @Fran please seek knowledge and dont follow audio messages ignorantly on whatsapps. Its never true
Do we really have health professionals in Ghana? What is the ratio of malaria infection in the south and forest belt as against the guinea savannah belt chosen for the exercise? Why those areas? Malaria is more prevalent in the forest belt, especially Ashanti, Eastern, northern part of Central and most of Western region. Why choose the drier open savannah areas instead where sanitation is relatively better?
Aiii is this not about the voice message going round on social media about a fake untested malaria vaccination our leaders wanted to receive in Ghana. Just asking