The Ghana Health Service has announced plans to embark on a nationwide immunization exercise for measles, targeted at children between the ages of nine months to 59 months.

The immunization programme is set to commence on Wednesday, October 2 and end on Sunday, October 6, 2024.

The exercise aims to safeguard children from measles and rubella while also providing essential vitamin A supplementation to support their overall health and well-being.

During a press conference in the Upper East Region on Monday, Dr Samuel Boakye-Boateng, the Regional Director of Health Service, highlighted the importance of the initiative.

He mentioned that the region experienced measles outbreaks earlier in the year, with Bawku West and Garu Districts reporting cases, along with five other districts seeing a few instances.

Dr. Boakye-Boateng explained “It’s a national exercise, a supplemental or supplementary immunisation activity with measles rubella vaccine. It’s integrated because we are also adding vitamin A supplementation. This year we recorded outbreaks across the whole country and in the Upper East region, two districts recorded outbreaks, that’s three or more cases where that district had about one or two cases a month or two ago.

“When we say outbreak, those that recorded three or more cases, and that happened in Bawku West and Garu. So that’s why we call it outbreak and how to investigate it.”