A vaccine is a substance which is used to stimulate the production of antibodies and provide immunity against one or several diseases, prepared from the causative agent of the disease, its products or a synthetic substitute, treated to act as an antigen without inducing the disease.
The act of introducing a vaccine into the body is called vaccination.
In Ghana there are several vaccines. This bulletin will consider only vaccines given to infants and children to prevent childhood killer diseases. The following are a list of vaccines and the diseases they prevent;
| NO. | VACCINES | PREVENTABLE DISEASE |
| 1 | Bacilli Calmette Guerrin (BCG | Tuberculosis |
| 2 | Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) | Poliomyelitis |
| 3 | Pentavalent | Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus (DPT), Hepatitis B, and Haemophilus Influenza type B |
| 4 | Pneumococcal (Prevnar 13) | Pneumonia |
| 5 | Rotarix (Rotavirus) | Severe Diarrhoea |
| 6 | Measles | Measles |
| 7 | Yellow Fever | Yellow fever |
Each of these vaccines are given at specific stages in infancy and childhood. The table below shows the stage and the type of vaccine to be given
| AGE | VACCINE |
| At Birth | BCG & OPV O |
| 6 weeks | OPV1, Penta 1, Pneumococcal 1, Rotavirus 1 |
| 10 weeks | OPV2, Penta2, Pneumococcal 2, Rotavirus 2 |
| 14 weeks | OPV3, Penta3, Pneumococcal 3 |
| 6 months | Vitamin A Supplementation |
| 9 months | Measles 1 & Yellow Fever |
| 12 months | Vitamin A Supplementation |
| 18 months | Measles 2 & Vitamin A |
NB: After 18months Vitamin A will be given every 6months till child is 5years old. Vitamin A is importance for vision and also support cell growth and differentiation, playing a critical role in the normal formation of the heart, lungs kidneys and other organs.
Let us save the lives of our children by vaccinating them.
Compiled by
Mabel K. Asafo and Irene Owusu Opoku
GHANA HEALTH SERVICE, HEALTH PROMOTION UNIT
ASHANTI HEALTH PROMOTION WEEKLY BULLETIN WEEK 9,
