Molecular diagnosis of COVID-19 in Burkina Faso: successful challenge

COVID-19 has worsened the health situation in Burkina Faso. In fact, the country has known a peak of the second wave, which began in November, and ended around January 2021. Biological diagnosis has played a key role in the management of COVID-19. The aim of this review paper is to address the practical aspects that laboratories have faced in order to meet the challenge of SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis in Burkina Faso. According to international requirements, Burkina Faso has used real-time Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (rRT-PCR) as the “gold standard” for the diagnosis of COVID-19. From March 9, 2020 to July 31, 2021, in Burkina Faso, laboratories involved in COVID-19 diagnosis analyzed 226,189 samples by molecular tests and 2, 352 samples by rapid antigenic tests, whose peak was in January 2021 with 35,984 samples analyzed. The daily average rate of samples analysis was 456.02 tests. The majority of the individuals requesting COVID-19 tests were travelers (62.00%), followed by contact cases (18.42%), suspected cases (7.95%), voluntary screening (7.57%), and 4.06% of other applicants consisting of health care personnel and at-risk patients. In terms of prevention, vaccines are being administered to the general population. However, some efforts must be made to provide automated sample analysis equipment and complete sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 remains among the challenges

Global respiratory syncytial virus–related infant community deaths

Background Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of pediatric death, with >99% of mortality occurring in low- and lower middle-income countries. At least half of RSV-related deaths are estimated to occur in the community, but clinical characteristics of this group of children remain poorly characterized. Methods The RSV Global Online Mortality Database (RSV GOLD), a global registry of under-5 children who have died with RSV-related illness, describes clinical characteristics of children dying of RSV through global data sharing. RSV GOLD acts as a collaborative platform for global deaths, including community mortality studies described in this supplement. We aimed to compare the age distribution of infant deaths <6 months occurring in the community with in-hospital. Results We studied 829 RSV-related deaths <1 year of age from 38 developing countries, including 166 community deaths from 12 countries. There were 629 deaths that occurred <6 months, of which 156 (25%) occurred in the community. Among infants who died before 6 months of age, median age at death in the community (1.5 months; IQR: 0.8−3.3) was lower than in-hospital (2.4 months; IQR: 1.5−4.0; P < .0001). The proportion of neonatal deaths was higher in the community (29%, 46/156) than in-hospital (12%, 57/473, P < 0.0001). Conclusions We observed that children in the community die at a younger age. We expect that maternal vaccination or immunoprophylaxis against RSV will have a larger impact on RSV-related mortality in the community than in-hospital. This case series of RSV-related community deaths, made possible through global data sharing, allowed us to assess the potential impact of future RSV vaccines

Preliminary results of official influenza and acute respiratory infection surveillance in two towns of Burkina Faso, 2013–2015

Abstract Background In 2010, influenza, influenza-like illness (ILI) and acute respiratory infection (ARI) surveillance was established by the government of Burkina Faso. We provide preliminary descriptive results from this surveillance activity. Methods The study period was 2013 through 2015. Two primary healthcare facilities in Bobo-Dioulasso district reported ILI in outpatients. Influenza virology, using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR), was available for a proportion of ILI patients. One hospital, in the capital Ouagadougou, reported ARI in both outpatients and inpatients (hospitalized). Inpatients admitted with ARI were considered severe ARI (SARI). We estimated the proportion of primary care outpatient visits that were ILI, and the proportion of those that were due to influenza, by age. We estimated the proportion of hospital outpatient visits that were ARI and the proportion of those that were SARI, by age. Results Among combined outpatient visits in the Bobo-Dioulasso facilities, 19.6% were for ILI. One half (49.9%) of outpatient visits in infants and 30.9% in 1–4 year-olds were ILI. Among ILI outpatient visits 14.8% were due to influenza virus and, of these, 58.5% were type A and 41.5% type B. At the Ouagadougou hospital, 6.7% of outpatient visits were ARI, and 22.3% of those were SARI. The highest proportions of ARI were among infants (19.8%) and 1–4 year-olds (16.0%). The proportion of ARI that was SARI was highest among ≥15 year-olds (31.5%) followed by 1–4 year-olds (22.4%). Overall, 4.1% of SARI patients died. Conclusions These preliminary data indicate the importance of respiratory infections among health care attendances in Burkina Faso, and influenza may be an important contributor to these

Prevalence of Hepatitis B virus and Hepatitis D virus Coinfection in Western Burkina Faso and molecular characterization of the detected virus strains

Objectives: In this study, we monitored the seroprevalence of HBV-HDV co-infection in different population groups in the Western part of Burkina Faso, and described the genetic diversity of the detected virus strains. Methods: Between October 2013 and December 2014, venous blood samples were collected from different cohorts (blood donors, pregnant women, outpatients) in the western region of Burkina Faso. Samples were tested for HBsAg and total anti-HDV antibodies. Positive samples were further analysed for HBV-DNA and HDV-RNA. Genotyping of the detected virus strains was done by nucleotide sequencing and phylogenetic analyses. Results: A total of 841 participants were included in this study. The mean age was 27.45 years (range: 7–89 years). HBsAg was found in 117 (13.9%) participants. Of the HBsAg positive samples, 4 (3.4%) were positive for total anti-HDV antibodies and negative for HDV RNA. Phylogenetic analyses based on the HBV complete genome (n = 10) and S fragment sequences (n = 35) showed that all strains belonged to genotype E. Conclusions: Our study showed a high HBsAg prevalence, but a low rate of HDV co-infection in HBsAg carriers from western Burkina Faso. The predominance of HBV genotype E in the country was confirmed. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the burden of HBV and HDV infection in western Burkina Faso. Keywords: HBV, HDV, Seroprevalence, HBV genotype, Burkina Fas

Connaissances, attitudes et pratiques des populations face à la tuberculose dans trois régions du Burkina Faso

Au Burkina Faso, le dépistage précoce des cas de la tuberculose (TB) constitue encore un défi malgré l’implication communautaire dansla lutte contre la maladie depuis 2005. Des connaissances et attitudes adéquates face à la tuberculose devraient contribuer à améliorer la détection des cas. L’objectif de notre travail était de décrire les connaissances, attitudes et pratiques des communautésface à la tuberculose. Nous avonsréalisé une analyse des données d’enquête transversale menée en 2012 dans trois régions du Burkina Faso. Les participants ont été choisis selon un échantillonnage en grappe. Nous avons identifié les facteurs associés à la connaissance à partir d’une régression de Cox. Au total 2 261 individus ont été enquêtés. Le sexe féminin était majoritaire (56,2 %). Plus de 85 % des enquêtés ont déclaré avoir déjà entendu parler de la TB. Un tiers (30,4 %) de la population a une bonne connaissance de la tuberculose. Lesfacteurs associés à la connaissance sur la tuberculose sont : le sexe, l’âge, le niveau d’instruction et le lieu de résidence. Pour plus de 96 % de la population enquêtée, le centre de santé est le premier recours en cas de suspicion de symptômes de la tuberculose. Le niveau global de la connaissance de la TB reste faible dansla population générale au Burkina Faso. L’amélioration de la connaissance sur la TB tenant compte des disparités identifiées dans cette étude est nécessaire pour l’atteinte des objectifs en matière de lutte contre la TB au Burkina Faso. Mots-clés : tuberculose, connaissance, pratique, Cox, Burkina Faso. &nbsp; English Title: Knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to TB among the general population of three regions of Burkina FasoIn Burkina Faso, early detection of tuberculosis(TB) casesremain a challenge despite community involvement in the fight against the disease since 2005. Adequate knowledge and attitudes related to tuberculosis should help improve case detection. The aim of our study was to describe the knowledge, attitudes and practices of communities regarding tuberculosis. We performed an analysis of cross-sectional survey data conductedin 2012 in three regions of Burkina Faso. To select participants, we carried out a three-stage clustersampling. We identified the TB related knowledge associated factorsthrough a Cox regression. A total, 2261 individuals were surveyed. The female was in the majority (56.2 %). Over 85 % of those surveyed said they had heard from TB before. One-third (30.4 %) of the population has a good knowledge of tuberculosis. Factors associated with TB-related knowledge are gender, age, education, and place of residence. For more than 96 % of the population surveyed, the health center is the first resort in case of suspected symptoms of tuberculosis. The overall level of knowledge of TB remainslow in the general population in Burkina Faso. Improving knowledge about TB taking into account the disparities identified in this study is necessary for reaching national goals in Burkina Faso. Keywords: Tuberculosis, knowledge, practices, Cox, Burkina Fas

Towards the complete eradication of mother-to-child HIV/HBV coinfection at Saint Camille Medical Centre in Burkina Faso, Africa

The coinfection of HIV and hepatitis B virus (HBV) and their vertical transmission constitute a public health problem in sub-Saharan countries of Africa. The objectives of this research are: i) identify the pregnant women that are coinfected by HIV and HBV at Saint Camille Medical Centre; ii) use three antiretroviral drugs (zidovudine, nevirapine and lamivudine) to interrupt the vertical transmission of HIV and HBV from infected mothers; and iii) use the PCR technique to diagnose children who are vertically infected by these viruses in order to offer them an early medical assistance. At Saint Camille Medical Centre, 115 pregnant women, aged from 19 to 41 years, were diagnosed as HIV-positive and, among them, 14 coinfected with HBV. They had at least 32 weeks of amenorrhoea and all of them received the HAART, which contained lamivudine. Two to six months after childbirth, the babies underwent PCR diagnosis for HIV and HBV. The results revealed that, among these mothers, 64.4% were housewives, 36.5% were illiterates, and only 1.7% had a university degree. The rate of vertical transmission of HIV and HBV was 0.0% (0/115) and 21.4% (3/14), respectively. The 3 mothers who transmitted the HBV to their children had all HBsAg, HbeAg, and HBV DNA positive. An antiretroviral therapy that in addition to zidovudine and nevirapine includes lamivudine could, as in the present study, block or reduce the vertical transmission in HIV positive pregnant women who are coinfected with HBV

Towards the complete eradication of mother-to-child HIV/HBV coinfection at Saint Camille Medical Centre in Burkina Faso, Africa

The coinfection of HIV and hepatitis B virus (HBV) and their vertical transmission constitute a public health problem in sub-Saharan countries of Africa. The objectives of this research are: i) identify the pregnant women that are coinfected by HIV and HBV at Saint Camille Medical Centre; ii) use three antiretroviral drugs (zidovudine, nevirapine and lamivudine) to interrupt the vertical transmission of HIV and HBV from infected mothers; and iii) use the PCR technique to diagnose children who are vertically infected by these viruses in order to offer them an early medical assistance. At Saint Camille Medical Centre, 115 pregnant women, aged from 19 to 41 years, were diagnosed as HIV-positive and, among them, 14 coinfected with HBV. They had at least 32 weeks of amenorrhoea and all of them received the HAART, which contained lamivudine. Two to six months after childbirth, the babies underwent PCR diagnosis for HIV and HBV. The results revealed that, among these mothers, 64.4% were housewives, 36.5% were illiterates, and only 1.7% had a university degree. The rate of vertical transmission of HIV and HBV was 0.0% (0/115) and 21.4% (3/14), respectively. The 3 mothers who transmitted the HBV to their children had all HBsAg, HbeAg, and HBV DNA positive. An antiretroviral therapy that in addition to zidovudine and nevirapine includes lamivudine could, as in the present study, block or reduce the vertical transmission in HIV positive pregnant women who are coinfected with HBV