Preventive campaign against yellow fever launched in 10 high risk districts in Ghana

Ghana recently launched a preventive campaign against yellow fever in 10 high risk districts of the country. During this one week campaign, yellow fever vaccine will be administered to all population above one year in the participating districts.

Late last year a 66 year old farmer from Upper Dekyria district of the Central Region was confirmed to have yellow fever. This was followed in 22 January 2005, by another farmer in Jirapa-Lambusie district of the Upper West region. They were both treated conservatively and are both alive.

Record reviews and active case search with outbreak investigation was followed by prompt response to contain the outbreak in both districts. Further identification of 26 high risk districts was made and request for the preventive campaign was appealed by Ministry of Health through WHO Ghana.

Vaccines have been received which are enough for 10 districts so further prioritization was made to implement the preventive campaign for the moment, while appeal for the vaccine to cater for the 16 others targeted for the campaign is being awaited. Government has fully taken the cost of operations while vaccine has been received from the global reserve with assistance of WHO channeled through UNICEF.

Communication and sensitization of the public is being done using local FM stations and traditional announcements have complemented to mobilize the communities in the affected regions. Technical tools for monitoring the implementation and documentation have been prepared with technical input from WHO. The vaccines bundled with syringes and safety boxes, vaccination registration cards, have been dispatched a week back to the two regions.

Ghana lies in the yellow fever zone where occasionally outbreaks of yellow fever have occurred. The last recent outbreak was in 1997 where populations of the three northern regions were affected which necessitated containment and preventive mass preventive campaign.

Since 1993 the yellow fever vaccine was introduced in the routine immunization program and administrative coverage has been on average 73% since 2000.

To control yellow fever, provision of vaccination and sustaining of sensitive surveillance to detect and timely respond to outbreaks are key strategies.

In addition to the preventive campaign, this outbreak has prompted the sensitivity of yellow fever surveillance to be boosted and so far 64 of 138 districts have reported on suspected cases of which only one was confirmed IgM positive for yellow fever.