Parents in the Ketu North District of the Volta region are preventing their children from taking Malaria vaccine shots over COVID-19 fear.
This, according to the Municipal Disease Control Officer, is a result of misconceptions relating to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This has subsequently had some effect on the uptake of health services, including for malaria, in the Municipality.
In a conversation with Starr News, the Municipal Disease Control Officer, Christopher Kankpetinga, as part of the ongoing national media malaria campaign under the African Media and Malaria Research Network (AMMREN).
Mr Kankpetinge noted that though the routine malaria vaccine implementation program has been relatively smooth, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has brought some level of hesitance among some parents who are now unwilling to allow their children to take all four doses of the RTS, S/AS01.
He said, "It is a challenge, not just only with malaria but generally, it has affected other service delivery. People actually are hesitant to visit the health facilities for care for the fear of contracting the Coronavirus. Others also have the perception that some medications given to them at the facilities are medications that can transmit the virus to them so they have been hesitant going to the facilities".