(Congo Town, Monrovia, January 22, 2021)—The provision of quality healthcare service delivery remains paramount concern of the Ministry of Health (MOH), although outbreak of the deadly Coronavirus earlier last year has impeded fabrics of the sector. But the Ministry’s commitment to the health need of Liberians cannot be over emphasized.
In this vein, the Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Health and its partners in the health sector have embarked on plans gear towards vaccinating children across the Country with typhoid vaccine.
Typhoid fever is caused by Salmonella typhoid bacteria. It is still a serious health threat in the developing world, especially for children.
The Ministry and partners will commence the four-day typhoid vaccination campaign in the Country beginning February 24 to 28, 2021.
The vaccination is expected to target children between nine (9) months to fifteen (15) years old in the fifteen counties of Liberia.
“Parents please take your children who are from 9 months old to 15 years to the nearest vaccination sites, clinics or hospitals for the typhoid vaccine”, Lahannah Ville-Jawara, Coordinator for Health Promotion at the Ministry, said during a media briefing.
During the campaign, vaccine will be given at special locations in communities and at clinics or hospitals, which citizens will have free access to so as to minimize the rate of typhoid fever in the country, according to Mrs. Jawara.
According to her, the Ministry in collaboration with its partners has developed simple typhoid messages which will be played on various communities’ radio stations for publicity.
“We are engaging stakeholders including the Medical and Dental Counsel, the Marketing Association of Liberia, Crusaders for Peace, the Traditional Counsel, among other groupings to create massive awareness on this upcoming vaccination campaign”. We believe they will motivate mothers to take their children for the vaccine,” she opined.
Also speaking was William T. Gaye, who attributed delay of the campaign to the Coronavirus outbreak. He said they have already started engaging different sectors in educating parents about the importance of the vaccine: “due to the outbreak of the virus we decided to pause the exercise. Now, we have resumed it.
People with typhoid can have several signs and symptoms including persistent fever, general body weakness and sweating.
The disease can be spread fast through facial-oral route (Saliva, Kissing), using unclean hand when eating, using contaminated utensil, unclean environment where rats, roaches, live in the home or community.
Signed: ______________________________________
Felecia Gbesioh
Director of Communication, MOH