Ouagadougou: The Minister of Health, Dr. Robert Lucien Jean-Claude Kargougou, on Friday praised the work of the Laabal Brigade in cleaning up the living environment in Ouagadougou, believing that this action contributes to reducing larval breeding grounds and, consequently, the risks of transmission of malaria and other vector-borne diseases.
According to Burkina Information Agency, Dr. Kargougou emphasized the importance of cleaning streets and living spaces as a crucial means of preventing vector-borne diseases. He highlighted that community involvement in improving and cleaning their living environment helps reduce breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
'A well-maintained street, a clean environment, means fewer larval breeding sites, fewer opportunities for mosquitoes to develop and transmit malaria,' he explained.
The Minister also encouraged Burkinabe citizens to adopt good hygiene and sanitation practices, particularly by avoiding littering in public spaces and around homes. He expressed his hope that every citizen would become an active participant in prevention and that every community would act as a bulwark against disease, particularly malaria.
Dr. Kargougou also announced an intensification of malaria control efforts in the coming weeks through sanitation initiatives and the National Anti-Larvary Days. "From now on, we will no longer be complicit with mosquitoes," he declared.
The commander of the Laabal Brigade, Wendpanga Franck Octave Kabr, welcomed the minister's visit, which he described as a source of motivation for his staff. He announced increased patrols in neighborhoods as well as awareness campaigns for the population and on social media.
The Laabal Brigade also intends to promote community engagement by encouraging residents of different neighborhoods and "six meters" (a local term for a specific area) to organize themselves to clean up their living environment, rather than viewing these actions solely from a punitive perspective.
The coordinator of the Presidential Initiative for Community Development (IPDC), Commander Marcel Meda, indicated that the minister's visit aims to strengthen collaboration between the various organizations in order to improve the effectiveness of government action in the fight against diseases related to unsanitary conditions.
This visit by the Minister of Health also falls within the framework of strengthening collaboration between organizations involved in the fight against vector-borne diseases, in preparation for the National Anti-Larvary Days scheduled for September 2026.