Boulkiemd: The commune of Ramongo began on Saturday the second phase of the National Vector Control Days (JNLAV), through an awareness campaign and sanitation operations aimed at preventing malaria and other vector-borne diseases. The activity, chaired by the President of the Special Delegation (PDS) of Ramongo, Kouna Yvette Sar, saw a strong turnout from the population, with women in the majority. The town hall area, the yaar (a type of open space), and the market were the locations chosen for the cleanup.
According to Burkina Information Agency, for this first day, participants mobilized to clean up the area around the town hall and the Ramongo irrigation system, equipped with hoes, picks, machetes, rakes, wheelbarrows, and other necessary cleaning tools. The awareness campaign was launched by the PDS (Departmental Social Action Program), with support from the heads of the Kamsi and Ramongo primary health centers (CSPS), Harouna Guiro, and Kora Adama Nignan, as well as the head of the town hall's Water and Sanitation Department, Hamidou Kabor.
Discussions focused on covering containers, clearing vegetation around homes, services, and public spaces, draining stagnant water, destroying mosquito breeding sites, and proper waste management. Residents were also made aware of the importance of keeping their living and working environments clean to reduce conditions conducive to mosquito breeding.
Participants raised concerns, including the underutilization of insecticide-treated bed nets by some beneficiaries, and the practice of many children self-medicating by their parents instead of being taken to health facilities for proper care. Satisfactory responses were provided to these concerns during the discussions.
The mobilization also saw the participation of those called up for the mandatory patriotic immersion program in the commune, who joined the population alongside the authorities for awareness and sanitation activities. One of them welcomed the presidential initiative that made this immersion possible and urged his comrades to remain mobilized around the ideals of the leader of the People's Progressive Revolution.
Individuals whose living conditions presented a worrying level of unsanitary conditions were also questioned and made aware of the issues on site by the relevant authorities. Kouna Yvette Sar, the local police chief, expressed her satisfaction with the mobilization and urged the population to maintain healthy living and working environments in the long term.
After preparatory meetings held in health facilities and at the town hall with the PDS, the JNLAV activities continue on Sunday at the Ramongo market. Simple actions taken today help ensure better health tomorrow. Together, let's fight mosquitoes for a healthy, malaria-free community.