Health experts are raising the alarm over a worrying trend that threatens to undo decades of progress in protecting Ghana’s children from six major killer diseases.
Despite Ghana maintaining immunisation coverage rates of over 90 percent for the past ten years—a feat described as remarkable by the Paediatric Society of Ghana—a growing number of people are refusing vaccines due to myths and misconceptions, a situation experts warn could trigger a resurgence of preventable childhood illnesses.
The concern comes as health authorities note a significant shift in the challenges facing immunisation programmes. What were once procurement and logistics issues have now transformed into a battle against public reluctance, a phenomenon fuelled by the same kind of misinformation that spread during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr Hilda Mantebea Boye, President of the Paediatric Society of Ghana, explained that the reasons behind vaccine hesitancy are varied but often rooted in unfounded fears.
“People have different reasons why they may not want to take a vaccine. Sometimes it’s because they are afraid that they will get complications or bad side effects and sometimes it’s just all these theories that people have that vaccines are bad, they are not good, you’ll become infertile and all sorts of information,” Dr Boye stated.
She emphasised that the evidence overwhelmingly supports vaccination, describing immunisation as one of the most cost-effective tools ever developed for preventing disease. Research shows that immunisation saves an estimated four to five million lives globally each year, though its impact depends entirely on maintaining high coverage levels.
Dr Boye issued a stark warning that if action is not taken, Ghana could see a resurgence of the six childhood killer diseases—including Polio, Measles, and Tetanus—that once posed a significant threat to child development but have been largely controlled through routine infant immunisation.
“All those diseases that were killing children are no longer such a big deal because we have the vaccines or the immunization which has helped to prevent us from seeing the diseases,” she said. “Again, some years ago when the vaccine shortages became a problem, you will realize that some of the illnesses that we had not been talking about as a problem came back.”
The warning was echoed by Professor Joseph Haddad, President of the International Pediatric Association, who stressed the importance of reaching every child everywhere. He called for a unified effort to battle vaccine hesitancy at the community level, describing vaccination as the best way to prevent diseases and achieve a world fit for all children.
Traditional leaders are also being called upon to join the fight. The Chief of Katamanso, Tatse Nii Laryea Akuetteh X, widely known as Nii Afotey Agbo, observed that advocacy efforts by health workers tend to be inconsistent. He noted that while health workers occasionally fan out across the country to engage communities, these efforts often lose momentum over time, and urged them to sustain their education and advocacy programmes from the local to the national level without fear.
In response to the growing threat, the Paediatric Society of Ghana has partnered with the International Pediatric Association to train immunisation champions who will work with the government and other stakeholders to address hesitancy and support efforts to improve coverage, including the introduction of new vaccines.
Parents and caregivers are being urged to rely on verified medical information and ensure their children keep up with routine vaccinations, even as society mobilises to confront the myths and misconceptions that endanger the gains made in child health over the past decade.
Source: 3 News
