By Accra, Ghana – April 27, 2025
As the world observes World Immunization Week in the last week of April, Ghana joined the global community to commemorate the 2025 African Vaccination Week (AVW) and Child Health Promotion Week (CHPW). In a powerful webinar organized by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Ghana Health Service’s Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), and the African Media and Malaria Research Network (AMMREN), stakeholders issued a clarion call for intensified advocacy to promote vaccination and address persistent challenges like vaccine hesitancy.
This year’s theme, “Every Child Deserves a Healthy Future: Invest in Your Child. Attend ‘Weighing Regularly,’” underscores the critical role of immunization in safeguarding child health. The joint commemoration aimed to strengthen immunization systems, ensure equitable access to vaccines, and empower communities with accurate, life-saving information—a mission that resonates with the WHO’s global 2025 immunization banner: “Immunization for All is Humanly Possible.”
Ghana’s Immunization Journey: Successes and Challenges
Ghana has made significant strides in its immunization efforts since adopting the EPI in 1972. According to the program manager for EPI at the Ghana Health Service, the country has achieved notable successes, including polio control, the elimination of neonatal tetanus, and substantial progress toward eradicating measles and other childhood killer diseases.
“These gains demonstrate the transformative power of immunization in child survival,” the manager stated during the webinar. Vaccination has contributed to 40% of the global improvement in infant survival over the past 50 years, saving an estimated 154 million lives worldwide—equivalent to 6 lives per minute for five decades, as reported by the WHO.
Despite these achievements, challenges remain. Vaccine hesitancy, fueled by misinformation and misconceptions, continues to hinder uptake. The EPI manager highlighted that the success of vaccination programs heavily depends on the quality of information shared with the public.
Additionally, Ghana faces systemic issues such as limited cold chain infrastructure, periodic vaccine shortages, and a heavy reliance on donor funding, which strains the sustainability of its immunization efforts. A 2024 study published in Public Health Challenges noted similar gaps, including low coverage for newly introduced vaccines and inequalities in access across regions.
The COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated these issues. A joinpoint regression analysis by the PMC revealed that DTP3 (third dose of diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis) vaccination coverage in Africa dropped significantly between 2019 and 2021, with over 25 million children globally missing one or more DTP doses in 2021 alone—a 6 million increase from pre-pandemic levels.
In Africa, the prevalence of vaccination dropout stands at 26.06%, with discrepancies between DTP1 and DTP3 coverage signaling problems with patient retention and program sustainability.
The Role of Media in Shaping Public Trust
A key focus of the 2025 AVW webinar was the pivotal role of journalists in combating vaccine hesitancy and building public trust. Professor Francis B. Zotor, Vice Board Chair of AMMREN, emphasized that in an era where misinformation spreads faster than any virus, journalists must go beyond reporting to educate and champion the truth.
“Whether it’s debunking vaccine myths, sharing stories of mothers walking miles to vaccinate their children, or spotlighting the tireless work of frontline health workers, journalists shape the national narrative,” Prof. Zotor said. He urged media practitioners to become “Health Champions” by highlighting local successes, addressing persistent gaps, and holding institutions accountable.
AMMREN, a proud partner of the EPI, is committed to equipping journalists with the tools and data needed to tell impactful, evidence-based stories. This aligns with their broader mission to counter vaccine myths and promote child health, as outlined in their recent webinar remarks published on Adomonline.com. The organization’s efforts are particularly crucial given the low DTP3 vaccination rates in Africa—74% in 2023 according to WHO-UNICEF estimates—far below the global target of 90%.
A Call to Action: Strengthening Immunization Systems
The 2025 African Vaccination Week included a series of activities to raise awareness, such as a health walk and float, media engagements, and high-level visits to vaccination centers. The webinar brought together health experts, policymakers, media practitioners, and development partners to strategize on building resilient health systems for universal health coverage (UHC). Stakeholders stressed the need for equitable access to vaccines, especially in underserved communities, to ensure no child is left behind.
The urgency of this mission cannot be overstated. In Africa, 30 million children under five still suffer from vaccine-preventable diseases annually, resulting in over 500,000 deaths, according to 2018 WHO data. Globally, hard-won gains in eradicating diseases like smallpox and nearly eliminating polio are at risk if vaccination coverage continues to falter. The WHO’s global immunization agenda aims to protect even more children, adolescents, and adults from vaccine-preventable diseases, but this requires sustained advocacy, funding, and public trust.
Looking Ahead: A Shared Responsibility
The 2025 African Vaccination Week serves as a reminder that immunization is a shared responsibility. Governments, health workers, journalists, and communities must work together to sustain Ghana’s immunization gains and address its challenges. As the EPI manager aptly put it, “The vaccines are safe, and we need to sustain the gains. Intensifying awareness and tackling vaccine hesitancy are critical steps forward.”
For Ghanaians, the message is clear: invest in your child’s future by ensuring they receive their vaccines on time. For the media, the challenge is to amplify this message with stories that inspire action and trust. And for policymakers, the task is to build a health system that leaves no one behind. Together, we can ensure that every child in Ghana—and across Africa—has the healthy future they deserve.
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