Burkina Faso records 2,000 suspected cases as country battles measles outbreak

Over 2,000 children in Burkina Faso are suspected to have contracted measles in the last four months, as the country battles a nationwide outbreak.

Measles is a highly contagious disease that is caused by a virus that attacks mainly children.

The most serious complications include blindness, brain swelling, diarrhoea, and severe respiratory infections.

In a statement on Friday, Save the Children, the charity organisation, said since the outbreak started in November 2023, the country has recorded more than 2,000 cases and seven deaths.

The organisation said this figure is nearly the same for all of 2023.

Save the Children said children aged between one and 15 account for 96 percent of cases, with the outbreak showing no signs of abating as about 1,700 cases were recorded in February alone.

“The capital centre region has been the most affected, with about 37% of reported cases,” the statement reads.

“While measles is preventable with two doses of a vaccine, Save the Children data shows that unvaccinated individuals accounted for nearly 90% of the confirmed measles cases.

“Globally, measles cases surged 79% in 2023 compared to the previous year, according to WHO, mainly due to missed vaccinations and overwhelmed health systems during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Burkina Faso is prone to measles outbreaks, with the country reporting 2,190 measles cases in 2023, 252 cases in 2022, 3,866 cases in 2021, and 2,480 cases in 2020.”

Benoit Delsarte, Save the Children country director in Burkina Faso, said stopping the disease is now an emergency for the wellbeing of children, their parents and communities.

“Save the Children commends the prevention and care measures taken by the government and its partners, while calling for greater mobilisation to provide crucial support to the districts affected by the epidemic and to strengthen the vaccination programme already underway,” he said.

The organisation called for the continued mobilisation of healthcare professionals to provide crucial support in districts affected by the outbreak, as well as awareness in other regions on the prevention of the epidemic.

In February, the World Health Organisation (WHO) expressed concerns over the rapid spread of measles globally.