Newborn babies in Ghana will begin receiving the Hepatitis B vaccine at birth starting October this year, according to the Ghana Health Service (GHS).

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The Programme Manager of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI), Dr. Kwame Amponsah-Achiano, said the vaccine will be given within the first 24 hours of life to help prevent the virus from being passed from mothers to their babies.

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He made this known at a national stakeholders’ forum in Accra, jointly organised by the GHS and the Hepatitis Foundation of Ghana. The meeting gave health experts and partners an opportunity to share ideas ahead of the rollout.

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Dr. Amponsah-Achiano noted that the move is part of the government’s broader goal to reduce hepatitis infections and improve public health by 2030.

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Dr. Amponsah-Achiano also mentioned that the government is well-prepared to start giving Hepatitis B vaccines to babies within their first 24 hours after birth.

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He explained that the Ministry of Health has put together a plan to help Ghana fully fund its own vaccination programmes by 2030, as support from the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) will gradually come to an end.

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He added that both the national immunisation policy and the EPI Field Guide have been updated to include the new Hepatitis B birth dose vaccine.

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In addition, he said that the government had updated data recording and reporting tools at the Ministry of Health to reflect the Hepatitis B birth dose vaccination, while the application submitted to GAVI for the introduction of "Hepatitis B birth dose into routine immigration programmes" had been approved.

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"Hepatitis B vaccine is not new, but what we are introducing now is the one that we will give to a child who is newly born so that we can prevent the mother-to-child transmission.

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It's been on the drawing board for many years, but fortunately, we have the green light to bring it on board to complete the recommendation of three doses minimum by the World Health Organisation, including the birth dose," Dr Amponsah-Achiano said.

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Speaking on behalf of the Director General of the Ghana Health Service, Professor Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, Dr. Joseph Adjetey Oliver-Commey from the Ghana Infectious Disease Centre underscored the vital role of immunisation in reducing the chances of mothers passing Hepatitis B to their babies.

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He also emphasised the importance of working together, using shared knowledge and resources, and focusing on training health workers to help the country successfully roll out the vaccination and stop the spread of the virus from mother to child.

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Speaking on behalf of the Director General of the Ghana Health Service, Professor Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, Dr. Joseph Adjetey Oliver-Commey from the Ghana Infectious Disease Centre underscored the vital role of immunisation in reducing the chances of mothers passing Hepatitis B to their babies.

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He also emphasised the importance of working together, using shared knowledge and resources, and focusing on training health workers to help the country successfully roll out the vaccination and stop the spread of the virus from mother to child.

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Speaking on behalf of the Director General of the Ghana Health Service, Professor Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, Dr. Joseph Adjetey Oliver-Commey from the Ghana Infectious Disease Centre underscored the vital role of immunisation in reducing the chances of mothers passing Hepatitis B to their babies.

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He also emphasised the importance of working together, using shared knowledge and resources, and focusing on training health workers to help the country successfully roll out the vaccination and stop the spread of the virus from mother to child.

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