Ghana has the capacity to introduce new maternal vaccines, including those targeting respiratory virus that affects the lungs and breathing passages in newborns and infants, to reduce maternal and newborn deaths. 

Prof. Richmond Nii Okai Aryeetey of the University of Ghana School of Public Health and a lead researcher, said the introduction of new maternal vaccines could significantly reduce illness and deaths among pregnant women and newborns within the next five years.

“We will reduce disease burden in children and avoid preventable deaths,” he said.

He, however, indicated that low early antenatal care (ANC) attendance and limited awareness of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) that affected the lungs of babies and Group B Streptococcus (GBS), among other issues, must be addressed to ensure a successful rollout.

He explained that the country had the manpower to roll out the vaccines, but required stronger training, advocacy and logistical preparedness.

“If we start, we will have the manpower to deliver it. But training and community awareness are critical,” he said at the dissemination meeting of a feasibility study conducted by the University of Ghana School of Public Health, in collaboration with PATH Ghana, an international health organisation, in Accra last Wednesday.

Prof. Aryeetey said bacteria-induced infections such as pneumonia, sepsis and meningitis in newborns among some health workers, and weak reporting systems to track maternal and newborn outcomes also needed to be addressed to ensure a successful rollout. 

Challenges

Speaking to the Daily Graphic, Prof. Aryeetey said the study found that many pregnant women did not report to health facilities for antenatal care within the first trimester, a situation that could undermine the effectiveness of maternal immunisation programmes.

He explained that factors such as distance to health facilities, cultural practices and out-of-pocket payments for services not covered by the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) often delayed early antenatal care attendance.

He said the awareness and knowledge about respiratory syncytial virus and Group B Streptococcus among some health workers, particularly at lower levels of care, remained limited because the management of such conditions had historically been concentrated at tertiary facilities.

Prof. Aryeetey further said weak and non-integrated reporting systems made it difficult to track maternal and newborn outcomes, especially when pregnant women moved between different health facilities.

“If we don’t know what is happening across facilities, there will be breaks in service delivery,” he said.

He said addressing these challenges would require updating health training curricula, strengthening in-service training through supportive supervision, and intensifying community education through antenatal clinics and pregnancy schools.

Urgent need

The Country Director of PATH Ghana, John Bawa, said the introduction of new maternal vaccines such as respiratory syncytial virus and Group B Streptococcus were “as urgent as yesterday”.

He said although the country already provided tetanus-diphtheria and tetanus toxoid vaccines to pregnant women, adherence challenges and limited awareness of newer maternal vaccines required immediate attention.
“We know there have been challenges with maternal mortality and unfortunate incidents where children are born with conditions that could have been prevented if interventions were put in place during pregnancy,” he said.

Recommendations

Citing recommendations by the World Health Organisation for the adoption of maternal respiratory syncytial virus vaccines, Mr Bawa said the country “cannot be left out of this opportunity” to protect mothers and newborns.

He said evidence showed that maternal immunisation platforms were safe, impactful and more cost-effective in the long term than managing complications after birth.

Mr Bawa said the Ministry of Health, as the policy-making body, must prioritise maternal immunisation within the framework of the government’s free primary healthcare policy, while the Ghana Health Service would be responsible for implementation.

He added that sustained advocacy would be required to secure budgetary allocation, strengthen cold chain systems, and ensure that vaccines were captured in national quantification plans.

He further called for consideration of NHIS coverage for related services to reduce financial barriers to care.