Attachments
Description of the Event
Date when the trigger was met
2024-03-05
What happened, where and when?
Since the introduction of the second dose of the measles-rubella (MR2) vaccine into routine vaccination in 2014, the frequency of epidemics, which were once quite recurrent, has noticeably decreased. However, isolated outbreaks still occur occasionally, such as the one reported in the Kampti district earlier in 2022.
From week 46 of 2023 to week 7 of 2024, Burkina Faso reported a total of 2089 suspected cases of measles, resulting in seven (7) deaths.
In 2023, there were a cumulative total of 2190 measles cases with five deaths. However, the situation in 2024 far surpasses these figures. From week 1 to week 9 alone, there have been 3050 suspected cases and 10 deaths. These numbers for 2024 significantly exceed those of the preceding three years (2021 to 2023). While all health regions are affected, the Central, North-Central, North, Boucle du Mouhoun, and Hauts-Bassins regions have reported the highest number of cases. Active measles outbreaks persist in districts such as Boulmiougou and Bogodogo in the Central region, Ouahigouya in the North region, Tougouri in the North-Central region, and Boromo and Solenzo in the Boucle du Mouhoun region. Additionally, new outbreaks have emerged in the Nongr-Masom health district in the Central region (20 cases in week 8 and 31 cases in week 9) and the Dori health district in the Sahel region (8 cases in week 8_2024 and 28 cases in week 9_2024). As of week 9 of 2024, Sig-Nonghin, Tenado, Kaya, Manni, Dandé, Orodara, and Zorgho are identified as new districts at risk of epidemic.
The median age of confirmed cases is 2 years, ranging from 1 month to 50 years. Males constitute 51.38% of confirmed measles cases. Unfortunately, the trend is on the rise across all regions of the country.
To tackle this alarming situation, health authorities activated the Center for Response Operations to Health Emergencies (CORUS) on 26 January 2024. Since then, response measures such as reactive vaccination campaigns, enhanced surveillance, risk communication, and community engagement efforts have been implemented. Despite these interventions, the epidemic persists, with every health region reporting at least one case.
Given the increasingly concerning trajectory depicted in Figure 1, health authorities have sought technical and financial assistance from the Burkinabe Red Cross Society, as of 5 March 2024.