Vaccines and vaccinations in the under-fives in Ghana, a tropical developing country

Abstract

In this paper, an attempt has been made to focus attention on the important childhood killer but immunizable diseases in Ghana, giving where available morbidity and mortality figures. Immunization schedules currently adopted in Ghana are discussed in the light of immunological considerations, the half-life of acquired maternal antibodies and from the point of view of known epidemiological patterns of these immunizable diseases. An attempt was thus made to justify the adoption of the immunization schedules currently in force in Ghana. Problems relating to some of the vaccines used in immunization of the under-fives in Ghana have been discussed in the light of personal experiences and the experiences of other colleagues, giving--where possible--suggestions for improvement. Finally, the paper delineates problem areas in immunization programmes of the under-fives in Ghana.