Kombissiri, Burkina Faso — In a significant public health initiative, Burkina Faso’s Minister of Health, Robert Lucien Jean Claude Kargougou, urged parents to vaccinate their children under five years old against poliomyelitis. This health campaign is integrated with malnutrition screening efforts. Minister Kargougou voiced this call during a field visit on Saturday in Kombissiri, aimed at reviewing the progress of the national polio vaccination campaign.

According to Burkina Information Agency, the vaccination campaign kicked off successfully, with over 1.2 million children aged 0 to 59 months receiving two drops of the polio vaccine on the first day. This figure represents 23% of the target demographic. Additionally, over 800,000 children aged 6 to 59 months were screened for malnutrition, accounting for 22% of children in that age group. Minister Kargougou praised the efforts of the 24,000 vaccinators and 12,000 town criers and supervisors who have been mobilized across the country. He highlighted the use of a door-to-door strategy to ensure that all children in the targeted age group are vaccinated.

The national vaccination campaign is scheduled in two rounds, from May 10 to 13 for the first round, and from June 7 to 10, 2024, for the second round. Each round spans four days, with an additional day allocated for areas facing significant security challenges. The campaign aims to vaccinate approximately 5.2 million children under five years old and screen more than 3.7 million children between 6 to 59 months for malnutrition, facilitating early treatment at health facilities.