Ioba: The High Commissioner calls on the population to fully support the campaign to eliminate schistosomiasis. The High Commissioner of the Ioba Province, Innocents Ouattara, invited the population on Thursday, November 20, 2025, to fully engage in the mass treatment campaign against schistosomiasis, during an advocacy meeting held in Dano.
According to Burkina Information Agency, participants listened to a presentation by the chief medical officer of the Dano health district, Dr. Salam Mande. He explained that schistosomiasis, or urinary bilharzia, is a parasitic disease contracted through contact with water contaminated by fecal matter and the expulsion of contaminated urine. It typically manifests as the presence of blood in the urine or stool. In the long term, this disease can lead to bladder cancer and gynecological cancers in women. This is why the Ministry of Health has launched the mass treatment (MT) campaign to eliminate schistosomiasis as a public health issue and interrupt its transmission cycle.
The Total Drug Monitoring (TDM) campaign is scheduled to take place from November 24 to 29, 2025, involving the administration of Praziquantel tablets. Dr. Mande indicated that the target population consists of children aged 5 to 14 and adults, with the Dano health district and 42 other districts included in this campaign. He called upon opinion leaders to raise awareness, mobilize the population, and manage instances of resistance, while also requesting strong involvement from secondary and primary school administrators. The media are encouraged to disseminate awareness messages.
The High Commissioner, Innocents Ouattara, expressed gratitude to the participants for their support. "This disease, caused by parasitic worms of the genus Schistosoma, has devastating consequences and hinders the potential of infected children, women, and men to contribute to socio-economic development," stated Mr. Ouattara. He urged the public to fully support the TDM campaign for the elimination of schistosomiasis in Ioba, emphasizing the importance of intensifying efforts to raise awareness and improve access to treatment in the province.
Innocents Ouattara also commended the tireless work of the management team at the Dano health district and all healthcare workers dedicated to combating schistosomiasis. "To bring about lasting change, a synergy of actions is necessary between all healthcare stakeholders and citizens," he concluded.