Ghana Health Service to pilot WHO-sponsored malaria vaccination in 4 regions in April

Ghana Health Service has taken a beautiful step by ensuring all children between six months and two years in selected districts in four regions with high malaria prevalence will receive malaria vaccination.

Dr. George Bonsu, National Immunization Programme Manager at the Ghana Health Service has said that it would pilot a Malaria Vaccine in April this year. The 2.5 years rollout, according to Dr. Bonsu, would be in four districts within the Brong Ahafo, Central, Upper East and Volta regions. Later it will be reviewed and extended to the other parts of the country.

While addressing the launch of a five-day Strategic Training Executive Programme in Ghana’s capital, Accra, Dr. Bonsu said that the selection of the Malaria vaccine pilot regions was based on their high prevalence rate, child mortality pattern, among others. The workshop is to improve immunisation coverage in Ghana.

To be administered based on the age of children, the vaccine will be given to the children Malawi and Kenya including Ghana. The programme is being sponsored by the World Health Organization, GSK (vaccine manufacturer), Global Alliance for Vaccine Immunization Support, Global Fund and Ghanaian government. He further said that apart from malaria, other diseases are also to be targeted for eradication like yellow fever, tuberculosis, measles, polio meningitis and rubella.

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