The Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) has recorded five suspected measles-related deaths amid concerns over a nationwide shortage of childhood vaccines, according to the Head of Paediatrics and Child Health, Professor Alhassan Abdul Mumin.
Prof. Abdul Mumin said the cases remain classified as suspected because laboratory confirmation is still pending.
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“We have five cases we admitted with suspected measles. The suspected measles have all the features that you will document for a child or a patient that has measles,” he said.
The reported deaths have sparked renewed criticism of the government’s handling of vaccine supplies.
Builsa South MP Dr Clement Apaak blamed the government for the situation, arguing that the shortage of vaccines had left children vulnerable to preventable diseases.
In a statement, he said the government had a responsibility to protect citizens by ensuring the availability of essential vaccines and should be held accountable for any loss of life resulting from the shortages.
However, Minister for Health Kwaku Agyeman-Manu has maintained that Ghana has not recorded any confirmed measles deaths during the recent increase in cases.
Addressing a press conference, the Minister said there had been no measles-related deaths in the country since 2003, despite annual reported cases.
He attributed the current vaccine shortage to global supply challenges that emerged following the COVID-19 pandemic and said the Ministry of Health was working with UNICEF to secure new vaccine supplies within a few weeks.
The Minister added that Ghana continues to maintain one of the highest immunisation coverage rates globally, recording 95 per cent coverage in 2021.
Meanwhile, several nursing mothers have expressed concern over delays in vaccinating their children.
Some mothers reported that their babies had missed scheduled doses of vaccines, including polio and yellow fever, because health facilities had run out of stock for weeks.
