The Chief Executive Officer of the Food and Drug Authority (FDB), Hudu Mogtari, on Tuesday said there was the need to educate the public to remove the negative perception on vaccinations, before the commencement of the Ebola and Cholera vaccines in 2015.
According to him, by the second and first quarter of 2015 respectively, Cholera and Ebola vaccines would be available to vaccinate target areas in Ghana, especially in the Greater Accra Region, which has been the worst affected area.
Mr. Mogtari said �there had been rumors and conspiracy theories of what vaccines are meant for�, so there was the need to guide and on how to communicate the message to the public.
He said there had been erroneous and negative perceptions that vaccines are used to sterilize people to render them impotent.
He said, in some countries like Nigeria, Afghanistan and Pakistan such unfounded rumors had posed a threat to the success of good health interventions.
Mr. Mogtari said this at the inaugural workshop of the �Training of Trainers� in Dodowa under the theme �Ensuring the Safety of Vaccines and Vaccination in Ghana�.
He said �Training of Trainers� workshop was to train people who would go and train others in the regions, on signs to report when administering the vaccines.
He added that the joint program by the FDA and the Ghana Health Service (GHS) would enable the health workers to be ready for any adverse events in the process of vaccination.
Mr. Mogtari said health officials play a pivotal role during immunization exercises, hence the need to provide them with the requisite training for optimum performance.
�They are usually the first responders to adverse events following immunization and, therefore, need to be trained on early detection, management, timely reporting of these events and also on how to respond to other vaccine safety issues�,
He said, �Continuous review and surveillance system will help to prevent this worrisome development and ensure that the public continues to have confidence in the vaccination programme.�
The Director of Public Health, Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr. Badu Sarkodie, on his part said the Government in collaboration with World Health Organization (WHO) had introduced oral cholera vaccine, which would be available in 2015 to combat the cholera pandemic.
He said, the vaccine, Shankol, which was very high in efficacy, would be used to combat the disease in the highly affected areas especially in Accra.
Dr. Sarkodie said the vaccine once administered on someone, could work effectively for up to five years. He noted that although WHO had given the indication of supplying Ghana with about 100,000 vaccines, Ghana had asked for about two million doses in its quest to fight it effectively. However, prone areas would be prioritized and more would be added subsequently.
He added that, some Ebola vaccines would also be available in the country by the first quarter of 2015. However, due to the inadequate supply, the vaccines would be targeted at health professionals and officials at our border posts since their exposure to the disease is higher.
He intimated that, the Cholera and Ebola vaccines would cost over $50 and $100 respectively per vaccination.
Dr. Sarkodie said, the workshop was very vital and in the right timing in preparing towards the vaccinations in 2015.
�It is also to build the capacity of staff involved in immunization exercises to respond to and effectively manage specific vaccine-related issues and also develop strategies to ensure minimal occurrences of preventable vaccine safety events�, he added.
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