Burkina Faso launches nationwide polio vaccination drive in seven regions

Government and partners unite to combat polio resurgence

Health authorities in Burkina Faso, in collaboration with UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO), have initiated a critical polio vaccination campaign across seven regions of the country. The initiative, launched on September 18, 2020, aims to protect over 2 million children under five from this highly contagious viral infection.

The targeted regions include Plateau Central, Centre, Centre-Nord, Centre-Ouest, Centre-Sud, Est, and Centre-Est, where health teams will conduct door-to-door immunization drives through September 21.

Polio resurgence amid health challenges

The urgency of this campaign stems from a polio case detected in January 2020 in the Ouargaye health district. Following a localized vaccination response in Centre-Est, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted routine immunization services, leading to a surge in preventable diseases like polio.

“The COVID-19 pandemic forced a temporary halt to vaccination campaigns, leaving gaps in health services and increasing cases of vaccine-preventable diseases, including polio,” explained James Mugaju, UNICEF Deputy Representative in Burkina Faso.

By June 2020, national disease surveillance systems had identified nine new polio cases and over 600 instances of acute flaccid paralysis—a condition potentially linked to polio.

Massive mobilization for community health

To ensure widespread coverage, UNICEF has supplied 2.29 million vaccine doses and deployed over 5,000 community health workers and mobilizers. These teams will traverse neighborhoods to identify, sensitize, and vaccinate children aged 0–59 months.

Health workers will also distribute 39,500 masks and 26,500 bottles of hand sanitizer to adhere to COVID-19 safety protocols during the door-to-door visits.

“UNICEF and WHO are committed to ending polio in Burkina Faso. We urge local leaders, community influencers, and parents to support this lifesaving effort. Polio is a threat to children’s health—we must eliminate it,” added Mugaju.

Polio: a silent but dangerous threat

Polio is a viral infection that spreads through contaminated food or water, primarily affecting young children. While the virus initially targets the intestines, it can advance to the nervous system, causing paralysis. Though Burkina Faso was declared free of wild poliovirus in 2015, the country now faces outbreaks linked to other forms of the virus.

A second round of vaccinations is scheduled for early October 2020, extending protection to nine regions, including Sahel and Nord.