The Kédougou region is in the yellow zone for vaccination coverage, a worrying finding revealed during a regional development committee (CRD) chaired by Governor Mariama Traoré. Health and administrative authorities have sounded the alarm and called for a general mobilization to revitalize the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI).

Persistent obstacles

According to the Regional Director of Health, Dr. Ababacar Mbaye, the main difficulty lies in the retention of health data, a factor which distorts the reading of the region's performance.

"The first factor is the withholding of health data. We must advocate to lift this withholding. But there are also the specific realities of Kédougou: a vast territory, a low population density, and localities sometimes located more than 15 km away. To reach all children, we must resort to mobile strategies," explained Dr. Mbaye.

The doctor specified that mobile teams and advanced strategies will be deployed to reach every child, including in the most remote areas. A special system will also be set up at the borders to offer vaccinations to people coming from neighboring countries, often with blank health records.

A regional task force in preparation

To better coordinate efforts, a regional task force will be established, along with units at the health district level. The goal is to involve all sectors, particularly education, to raise awareness about the cervical cancer vaccine (HPV), whose performance remains low in the region, with the exception of the Salémata district, which has over 90% coverage.

Dr. Mbaye also emphasized the importance of engaging with reluctant populations: "Sometimes, communities refuse the vaccine simply because they don't understand it. If we take the time to explain, they accept. That's why we're going to develop community diagnostics to better address concerns."

The Governor's Call

Chairing the meeting, Governor Mariama Traoré reiterated the strategic importance of the EPI for the future of children and women. "The objective of this CRD is to revitalize the EPI in the region. During a recent national meeting with the Ministers of Health and Interior, it became clear that Kédougou is not performing well. That is why we brought together all stakeholders to reverse this trend. I call on everyone to mobilize: authorities, health workers, partners, but also community leaders and parents," she said.

A health and social emergency

Beyond the figures, the low vaccination coverage exposes children in Kédougou to preventable diseases and weakens public health in a region already facing structural challenges.

For the authorities, it is now a matter of transforming the announced strategies into concrete results.