July 29, 2010
H1N1 Vaccine is Safe- Health Minister

The Minister for Health, Hon. Benjamin Kunbuor has assured Ghanaians that the H1N1 vaccine is safe and that vaccination will continue in accordance with prescribed guidelines in all health institutions and facilities as mandated by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The Minister gave the assurance yesterday at press conference in Parliament after he had presented a statement to the House on the H1N1 vaccination.

He said the vaccine development plan for the country was developed and approved by WHO following a training workshop for National Immunisation Programme Managers in Abuja, Nigeria for Anglophone WHO African Regions adding that over 61 countries have received over 45,449,000 doses of the H1N1 vaccines.

The Minister noted that no death has been recorded as a result of the ongoing H1N1 vaccination exercise in the country and the death a 31-year old nursing mother from Asaman Tamfoe in the Eastern Region, was not caused by the H1N1 vaccination.

He pointed out that adverse events following the Immunisation (AEFI) are being monitored through a Post Marketing Surveillance and Pharmacovigilance where all reported cases are investigated.

He noted that the Ministry had instructed all health staff involved in the vaccination to strictly follow the inclusion and exclusion criteria and procedures before and after vaccination adding, “efforts are being taken to re-train staff on the dos and don’ts of the exercise.”

Hon. Kunbuor said over 1.5 million people have so far been vaccinated across the country and no death has so far been recorded.

He told journalist that a review meetings of the vaccination exercise revealed that all those who suffered adverse reactions from the vaccination have been well managed with no deaths recorded.

According to the Minister, a total of 960 cases of people with the H1N1 disease had been recorded in the country as at 21st July 2010 with one death which happened to be an 11 month old baby and that about 729 of adverse effects of the vaccination have been reported and effectively managed.

Some of these effects, he said, included fever, pain and swelling of injected sides, aching muscles, dizziness, vomiting, shivering, diarrhoea, and sometimes sleeplessness.

Hon. Benjamin Kunbour, pointed out that the first phase of the H1N1 vaccination which is on-going was earmarked for only four categories of people in the country based on technical advice by WHO and that the mad rush for the vaccine by other members of the public outside the 4 priority groups of the 1st phase of the vaccination affected effective education plan for the general public.

Source: ISD (Gilbert Ankrah & Ric