An estimated 98,533 infants were missed out during the routine immunisation services nationwide, leaving them prone to infections if urgent action is not taken.
Dr George Bonsu, Programme Manager for Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) said this on Tuesday at a news conference to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of Ghanas Child Health Promotion Week and the African Vaccination week.
Dr Bonsu said the transmission of vaccine-preventable diseases particularly measles and polio would not be curtailed and all the successes chalked out over years would be reversed if parents do not as a responsibility vaccinate their infants.
He explained that immunisation is a widely recognised as the most successful and cost effective health intervention ever introduced and urged parents not to deny their infants of the services.
Immunisation protects children from diseases such as whooping cough, diphtheria, tetanus, polio and measles in addition to pneumonia and rotavirus diarrhoea, two of the biggest killers of children under five years, he added.
The Vaccination week, which will be on the theme: Vaccination, A Shared Responsibility, will run from April 22- April 28.
The Child Health Promotion Week on the local theme: Unite to Save Newborns: Promise Renewed will be launched in the Upper East Region on May 2 and will deliver services from May 5- May 9.
Giving the trend of coverage of vaccination in Ghana, Dr Bonsu noted that the coverage in 1988 was 47 per cent but has increased to 78 per cent in 2008, adding, that immunisation has contributed to a drastic reduction of under five mortality from 111 per 1000 live births in 2003 to 80 per 1000 live births.
Ghana has since October 2011 been counted among nations that have eliminated neonatal tetanus (and), no polio cases recorded since 2008.
The EPI Programme Manager noted that Ghana with the success chalked out in Polio eradication, the country will declare polio free in 2014.
He assured parents that vaccination services are free and safe and should be completed for very child by the 18th month to ensure that the conquest of vaccine of the 12 preventable diseases.
Dr Isabella Sagoe-Moses, National Child Health Coordinator speaking on the Child Health Promotion for 2014 said progress has been made since 2004 in increasing coverage of essential services- immunisation, vitamin A supplementation, birth registration among other services.
She numerated the causes of newborn deaths with infections topping with 66.4 per cent followed by pneumonia, septicaemia, meningitis, diarrhoea and tetanus and said with supervised delivery, early and exclusive breastfeeding, post-natal care, recognition of danger signs and prompt care-seeking most of the causes would be prevented.
She renewed the promise of ensuring that all children both rich and poor, irrespective of their location would not die of any of the preventable newborn diseases and would live to celebrate their fifth birthdays.
Mr John Yao Agbeko, Registrar Births and Deaths Registry noted that from 35-40 per cent of children go unregistered each year, denying them of enjoying the basic necessities in life.
He blamed parents for neglecting that aspect of their responsibility in ensuring that their children had their names legally registered in the national books and said registration is free for the first year.
Mr Agbeko urged parents to take advantage of exercise to register their infants after birth so that they could have identity.
Dr Magda Robalo WHO Country Representative, commended Ghana for the achievements made in eradicating small pox as well as progress made in measles and other diseases.
She called on Ghanaians to make sure that they are up-to-date with the vaccines they need to give them the best chance of healthy future.
GNA
