Govt to Procure $6.4m worth of Vaccines for Childhood Immunisation-Health Minister
The government through the Ministry of Health is to procure $6.4 million worth of vaccines for childhood immunization in the country, the Minister for Health, Hon Kweku Agyeman-Manu told Parliament.
According to him, the vaccines are expected to be in the country for the next two to three weeks time and could stock for six months pending more to follow in due course.
Hon Agyeman-Manu disclosed this when he appeared before parliament to answer questions and also make a statement on the recent shortage of vaccines in the country on Thursday, March 9, 2023.
The Health Minister added that the government through his Ministry placed the order for the vaccines some weeks ago with UNICEF and is currently working with UNICEF to fast-track the process to tackle the vaccine shortage.
“We are making all necessary efforts to ensure that we secure adequate stocks of childhood vaccines that are short in the country within the next two to three weeks, all things being equal..
“It is expected that the vaccines will be supplied in the next two to three weeks, all things being equal,” Hon Agyeman-Manu updated Parliament
He told parliament 10 different vaccines for the country’s immunisation programmes for protected children against 13 different diseases.
He said four of those vaccines were 100 per cent funded by the government, while the remaining six were supplied by the Global Vaccine Alliance (GAVI) in a cost-sharing agreement with the government.
The shortages the country was experiencing, he said, now affected three of the four traditional vaccines fully funded by the government and supplied through UNICEF.
He mentioned the vaccines in short supply nationwide as BCG, Measles-Rubella (MR), and Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV), stating, “The recent shortages in some childhood vaccines regrettably coincided with the performance of the economy towards the second half of last year and this affected our normal procurement processes, which resulted in delays for vaccines we would have needed in 2023,.”
The vaccination coverage for 2022 for the five districts was moderately high, with Savelugu having 80.5 per cent, Tamale Metro with 107.8 per cent, Karaga with 101.9 per cent, Kumbungu with 96.3 per cent and Nanumba North with 74.2 per cent coverage.
Below is the Full Statement
UPDATE ON THE SHORTAGE OF SOME ROUTINE CHILDHOOD VACCINES IN THE COUNTRY
1. Mr. Speaker, thank you for a very beautiful opportunity to be here to answer to the shortage of some childhood vaccines in the country and matters arising, and the associated outbreak of measles in the Northern Region.
- The Ministry of Health has been serious concern about the shortage of some childhood vaccines and their effect on the vaccination program in the country. This is a major source of worry for the Ministry, Partners, Caregivers, and population.
- We are aware of the implication of the shortage including disease outbreaks and effects on child survival.
- The Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI), has been a flagship disease control programme in the country and arguably, one of the best, if not the best in the Subregion, with high coverage of over 90%. We have an established
system for forecasting, procurement, supply, and distribution of routine vaccines and monitoring their use. - Mr. Speaker, there are 10 different vaccines for our immunisation programs that protect children against thirteen (13) different diseases. Four (4) of these vaccines are 100% funded by the government of Ghana whiles the remaining six
(6) are supplied by GAVI in cost sharing agreement with government. The shortages we are experiencing now affects three of the four traditional vaccines fully funded by government and supplied through UNICEF.6. Mr. Speaker, it is true that we have had some vaccine shortages in the country since the last quarter of 2022. The vaccines in short supply are BCG, Measles Rubella (MR) and Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV). This shortage is nationwide.
- The recent shortages in some childhood vaccines regrettably coincided with the performance of the economy towards the second half of last year, and this affected our normal procurement processes which resulted in delays for vaccines
we would have needed in 2023. - Despite the delay in our procurement processes, we had stocks which carried us through 2022, resulting in our end of year national coverage of 95% measles, OPV, 90%, and BCG 96%.
- Mr. Speaker, a district is said to be in an outbreak when there are two or more laboratory confirmed measles cases that are temporally related (with dates of rash onset occurring 7-21 days apart) and the cases are linked. In this context, five districts in the Northern Region have been in an outbreak situation. These
are Tamale Metro; Kumbungu; Savelugu; Karaga and Nanumba
North. - Mr. Speaker, the vaccination coverage for 2022 for the 5 districts are moderately high and are as follows: Savelugu 80.5% , Tamale Metro 107.8, Karaga 101.9%, Kumbungu 96.3% and Nanumba North 74.2% and we believe this is enough to prevent an outbreak.
11. Mr. Speaker, one major contributor to measles outbreak is accumulation of unvaccinated persons over a period of time.
These children constitute a cohort of vulnerable groups who become the focus of infection. This is why the country has been conducting mass catch-up and follow-up measles (and rubella) vaccination campaigns every three to five years with support from Gavi, WHO, UNICEF and other Partners. This year’s Mass campaign is yet to be undertaken and discussions with our Partners are on-going.
- It is important to correct the erroneous impression that,
there have been deaths from measles in Ghana recently. For the avoidance of doubt, there have been no deaths from the recent recorded spike in measles cases. Indeed there have been no deaths since 2003 though we have recorded cases annually. - Mr. Speaker, mercifully, no child has died in this outbreak.
14. Following the confirmation of cases, the following Public
Health Actions have been taken:
• Alerts and facts sheets and Standard Operating Procedures have been sent out to all healthcare facilities, districts, and surveillance sites in the region
• Surveillance has been enhanced through daily records reviews and ward rounds;
• There have been active community case searches ongoing
• Contacts of confirmed cases have been traced
• Public education and sensitisations are ongoing across the
region
• Cases are being managed according to national guidelines at the
various health facilities
• Vitamin A supplementation is provided to cases
• The Ministry, working with WHO and other Partners, has initiated an application to the International Coordination Group (ICG) for supply of Measles-Rubella vaccines for outbreak response vaccination campaign. - Mr. Speaker, on this basis, we appeal to caregivers, opinion leaders, school authorities and the public to make children available for routine vaccination and vaccination campaigns so that no child is left behind. In the meantime, we advise parents to exercise restraint and be rest assured that, it will not be too
late to take the vaccine when available. - As we increase our advocacy campaign to reduce vaccine hesitancy, we urge our colleagues to support this drive.
- Mr. Speaker, we have made all necessary efforts to ensure that we secure adequate stocks within the next few weeks.
18. Working with UNICEF, we are fast-tracking the processes and it is expected that the vaccines will be supplied in the next few weeks, all things being equal.19. Mr. Speaker, before I take my seat, I would like to clarify that, the reference to WHO in the press statement was meant to explain the cumulative effect of COVID-19 on the overall vaccine supply chain and not necessarily that there is a current global shortage of vaccines. - Mr. Speaker, I thank you for your attention.
Source: expressnewsghana.com
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