Govt must take Urgent Action on Outbreak of Measles in N/R- Alhassan Suhuyini

The Member of Parliament Tamale North, Hon Alhassan Sayibu Suhuyini has called on the government to take urgent action and get vaccines to reduce the spread of the outbreak of Measles in the Northern Region.

According to him, schools and other public places in his constituency are likely to be closed down due to the shortage of vaccines in the country.

Speaking to members of the Parliamentary Press Corps after a statement he made on the floor of parliament on the Outbreak of Measles and shortage of vaccines on Wednesday, March 1, 2023, Hon Suhuyini feared more children would be affected if the government failed to take urgent action and procure vaccines for that part of the country.

He said the situation is getting worse and beyond his area, saying, “ it’s alarming because it’s a very contagious disease, if care is not taken, very soon many schools will have to close down.”

“You see Children with running noses; high temperatures and the like tend to be very common at the lower level of education. When those are happening in the midst of an outbreak of measles, we will not be able to tell if a child is suffering from Measles or not, sometimes it becomes too late,” Hon Suhuyini added.

He however demanded the Minister for Health be hauled before the august House to brief members as soon as possible as the situation is getting out of hand, noting that, “it’s shameful that as a country we are still talking about the outbreak of Measles given how far we have come.”

The Tamale North lawmaker who sounded downhearted over the situation said he was greatly worried and disturbed by the fact the nation could not store the essential vaccines for some of these avoidable diseases.

The Paediatric Society of Ghana earlier disclosed that about 120 cases of measles were recorded in the Northern Region by end of December 2022 due to the shortage of essential vaccines.

The shortage of vaccines has the potential to increase the vulnerability of children to the diseases the vaccines seek to protect them against.

Following that, the Health Committee of Parliament on Tuesday, February 28, 2023, invited the Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu but he failed to honour the invitation to answer questions about the shortages of vaccines.

Below is Full Copy of Hon Suhuyini Statement

Hon Suhuyini Alhassan: Statement by Alhassan Sayibu Suhuyini, MP Tamale North on the recent Measles Outbreak in N/R

Mr. Speaker in the last couple of months, since October, over 70 positive cases of measles among children have been recorded in the Northern Region.

According to a statement by the Regional Health Directorate, the cases so far have been detected in four districts including, Karaga, Sagnerigu, Tamale and Gushegu where the disease was first detected.

Mr speaker Sometime last year, the central hospital in Tamale had its Paediatric unit closed down due to an outbreak of measles.

The disease spreads through the air by respiratory droplets produced from coughing or sneezing making it highly contagious, especially among school-going toddlers.

Measles symptoms don’t appear until 10 to 14 days after exposure and this includes cough, runny nose, inflamed eyes, sore throat, fever and a red, blotchy skin rash.

Mr. Speaker the latest development is very worrying because the disease is not just highly contagious but can lead to lifelong disabilities including blindness, brain damage and deafness.

Measles is a highly infectious viral disease among Children up to the age of 14. The infection tends to be severe in vitamin A deficient and malnourished children but it is vaccine-preventable and about 23 million lives throughout the world have been prevented through measles vaccination from 2000-2018. In spite of this, measles caused over 140,000 deaths globally in 2018.

Mr. Speaker about 95% of deaths due to measles occurs in developing countries. One percent of deaths of children under five in Ghana in 2013 was attributed to Measles. In 2016, a total of 1,218 suspected cases of measles were reported from 195 districts throughout the country. As of 2020, the year that was designated as the deadline for the elimination of measles from African countries by the WHO, 88 cases of measles were reported in Ghana.

In the preceding year, 2019 a relatively higher number of 1,274 cases was registered.

Mr speaker given that the international target of eradicating measles by 2020 has been missed, despite experts acclaimed commendable strides of our nation, attained through consistent and regular immunization, it’s important that health authorities jealously guide against a deterioration of our gains made in the efforts to eradicate measles.

In calling for the effective management and treatment of detected cases

It is important that challenges such as civil conflict, weak health systems, cultural and economic barriers to reaching certain population groups during immunization ought to be prioritized for resolution. Ghana may have one of the highest essential immunisation rates in the world and may be one of the few countries in Sub-Saharan Africa with over 90% coverage with the measles vaccine at some point recent data shows a deterioration to about 70% coverage in the last exercise carried out.

In the meantime Mr. Speaker, I wish to appeal to your good office to request the Minister of Health to appear before your august house to brief members on how the government is dealing with the latest deadly outbreak of measles in especially the N/R and the collaboration it expects from stakeholders such as parents, school authorities and the general public.

I thank you sincerely for the opportunity.

Source: expressnewsghana.com

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