Ouagadougou: The measles-rubella response vaccination campaign, which began on August 3 and is scheduled to run until August 9, 2026, is progressing well in the health area of the Medical Center (CM) in sector 11 of Fada N'Gourma, despite some cases of reluctance observed at the start of the operation.

According to Burkina Information Agency, Dr. M. Yolande Napon, the doctor in charge of the medical center in sector 11 of Fada N'Gourma, stated that the campaign is a response to a resurgence of suspected measles cases in recent months in the health area. 'We have observed that several patients are arriving with signs suggestive of measles, including conjunctivitis and colds. Faced with the frequency of reported cases, the government has taken the initiative to organize this campaign in order to reduce this disease,' she explained.

The lead physician indicated that the first few days of the campaign were marked by some reluctance from the population. However, thanks to awareness-raising activities carried out by health teams and various communication channels, community support is gradually improving. "We went to explain to the people the importance of vaccination and we believe that the results of the last few days will be better than those at the beginning of the campaign," she stated.

Dr. M. Yolande Napon also reassured that all the necessary inputs for vaccination are available and that the teams are fully mobilized to ensure the smooth running of the operation. 'We have received the vaccines, syringes and all the necessary equipment. The agents are already in the field to administer the vaccines,' she said.

She appealed to parents and community leaders to support the health teams in this operation. "I urge parents to vaccinate their children and I ask community leaders to continue raising awareness so that the entire population supports this campaign," she urged.

For this response campaign, the vaccination target has been exceptionally extended to children aged 6 months to 10 years, whereas routine measles vaccination usually concerns children aged 9 to 23 months. The campaign, which will end on August 9, 2026, aims to strengthen children's immunity in order to curb the spread of the disease in the health area of the Medical Center of sector 11 of Fada N'Gourma.