Sege: Dr Stephen Arthur, the Ada West District Education Director, has advised parents and guardians against preventing their children from receiving vaccinations and deworming tablets administered at schools. Dr Arthur described parents' refusal to give their consent for such vaccination exercises as detrimental to the health of the pupils.
According to Ghana News Agency, Dr Arthur, who chaired the launch of the African Vaccination and Child Health Promotion Week at Sege, expressed concern over the growing perception among some parents that vaccines and deworming tablets were harmful. He emphasized that such beliefs were misleading and posed a danger to the health and well-being of children.
He stressed the importance of vaccination and deworming in preventing childhood diseases and promoting long-term health; therefore, he urged parents to support the exercise and allow their children to benefit from government-led health initiatives, especially those conducted in schools. He cited an instance where a child immediately vomited a live worm after being given a dewormer, illustrating the potential dangers of not administering the medicine.
Dr Arthur explained that many children had died because they were not vaccinated, and their parents might end up blaming their deaths on witches and spiritual attacks, even though the cause might be far from that. The African Vaccination and Child Health Promotion Week aims to increase awareness of the need for immunization and other health interventions across the continent, particularly among children.
Health professionals, education stakeholders, parents, and community leaders attended the event, which included educational talks and outreach programs to boost participation in the week-long initiative. They described it as a welcoming initiative. Additionally, Prophet Daniel Djanie, who also serves as a herbal doctor, appealed for a child welfare (weighing) center to be built on the outskirts of Sege to enhance access to regular care for children in those areas.
