Guiriko: The High Commissioner of Bougouriba Province, Amidou Konat©, President of the District Health Council, chaired an advocacy meeting in Di©bougou to promote the fight against onchocerciasis. Participants were urged to support the mass ivermectin treatment campaign, scheduled for July 17-22, 2026, to consolidate progress toward the elimination of this disease.
According to Burkina Information Agency, the meeting, held in the meeting room of the Di©bougou health district, brought together administrative, traditional, and religious authorities, as well as opinion leaders. It featured presentations on onchocerciasis, discussions with participants, and a symbolic taking of medication by the authorities to demonstrate their support for the campaign.
Presenting the epidemiological situation, the head of the Health Information and Epidemiological Surveillance Center (CISSE), Larba Yarga, indicated that the Di©bougou health district is among the areas where onchocerciasis transmission has now been interrupted. However, he specified that efforts must continue to achieve the complete eradication of the disease.
According to him, the community-directed ivermectin treatment (CDT) campaign will involve 16 health and social promotion centers (CSPS) in the district, covering 50 villages and sectors. More than 41,000 people aged five and over are expected to participate. However, the treatment is contraindicated for pregnant women, women who have given birth within the last week, children under five, and those who are seriously ill.
Mr. Yarga explained that the campaign aims for therapeutic coverage of at least 80% of the population and 100% of targeted households. To achieve this goal, community distributors will conduct door-to-door treatment following a registration of beneficiaries by name.
When questioned, the chief medical officer of the Di©bougou health district, Dr. Faissal Niki¨ma, recalled the consequences of this parasitic disease on the health of the population. "Onchocerciasis can cause blindness and lead to skin manifestations. It is certainly not a fatal disease, but it is very debilitating and can severely degrade the quality of life of those affected," he explained.
The High Commissioner of Bougouriba, Amidou Konat©, for his part, called on the populations concerned to fully support the campaign. "I call on all target populations to participate in this campaign and to take the medications they are given correctly in order to preserve their health," he said.
On behalf of the traditional leadership of Di©bougou, Cyrille Farma assured of the commitment of the traditional authorities to support health workers in raising awareness in the communities. 'Many continue to believe that this disease is related to mystical practices. Our role is to help people understand its true origin, as it has been explained to us today, and to encourage them to follow the treatment correctly,' he said.
Through this advocacy meeting, health and administrative authorities intend to strengthen community support for the mass treatment campaign, considered a decisive step towards the definitive elimination of onchocerciasis in the province of Bougouriba.