Burkina Faso Announces Nationwide Poliomyelitis Vaccination and Malnutrition Screening Campaign

OUAGADOUGOU – Burkina Faso’s Ministry of Health has scheduled a comprehensive national vaccination campaign targeting poliomyelitis. The campaign will be conducted in two rounds; the first from May 10 to 13, and the second from June 7 to 10, 2024. Each phase will last four days, with an additional day allocated to regions facing significant security challenges.

According to Burkina Information Agency, the initiative will involve the vaccination of approximately 5,216,921 children under the age of five, spanning from newborns to 59-month-olds. This preventive measure follows the detection of poliomyelitis cases in the country on March 25, 2024. Concurrently, the campaign will incorporate malnutrition screenings for children aged six to 59 months.

The decision to launch this campaign was influenced by the highly contagious nature of poliomyelitis and the absence of a curative treatment, making prevention through vaccination imperative. Vouanda Somé, a health advisor at the Directorate of Prevention through Vaccination, emphasized the critical nature of the disease during an advocacy workshop held in Ouagadougou. The event gathered journalists, activists, bloggers, health officials, and various stakeholders to bolster support for the vaccination effort.

Mr. Somé highlighted that all children are eligible for this polio vaccination, regardless of their previous vaccination history, and noted that the first round will also focus on early malnutrition detection and treatment at health facilities. He urged the involvement of administrative, political, religious, and community leaders, as well as parents, to ensure no child is left unvaccinated.