HIV infection and mycobacterium tuberculosis drug-resistance among tuberculosis patients in Burkina Faso, West Africa

The aim of this study was to compare the drug-resistance patterns of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains among pulmonary tuberculosis patients, according to their HIV serostatus, in Burkina Faso. Tuberculosis (TB) patients were classified in new and previously treated cases by using a structured questionnaire. Susceptibility testing to isoniazid, streptomycin, rifampicin and ethambutol was done by the proportion method. Association between HIV-serostatus and drug-resistant TB was assessed with χ2 tests, and the statistical significance was set to

Risk factors associated with HIV prevalence in pregnant women in Burkina Faso, from 2006 to 2014

Purpose of the study: To determine the socio-demographic factors influencing the dynamics of HIV prevalence among pregnant women in Burkina Faso.Material and methods: A total of 66,597 pregnant women from the 13 health regions of Burkina Faso were included in this study conducted between 2006 and 2014. Venous blood samples were collected and analyzed for the detection of HIV antibodies according to WHO / UNAIDS strategy II, using the mixed test Vironostika HIV Uniform II Plus O (Bio-Mérieux) and the test discriminating ImmunoCombII HIV-1 & 2 BiSpot (Orgenics). Samples with discordant results between the two tests, as well as those positive to HIV-2 or HIV-1 + 2, were retested with HIV BLOT 2.2 (MP Diagnostics). Sociodemographic data collected from the participants were correlated with their HIV status to determine key risk factors influencing HIV infection prevalence in Burkina Faso.Results: Sociodemographic data showed that the study population consisted mainly of married women (91.2%) at their first pregnancy (27.1%) with a large majority of them being housewives (86.2%) who did not attend any form of schooling (69.4%). About 88.4% had stayed longer than a year in the health region where they initially participated in the study and 55.8% were between 20 and 29 years of age. Overall HIV prevalence significantly dropped from 2.7 % in 2006 to 1.3% in 2014. However HIV seroprevalence in this study has varied significantly according to socio-demographic characteristics including marital status, parity, occupation, education, age group and the length of stay in the women's health community (p <0.0001). Factors sustaining HIV transmission included the status of being unmarried (OR=1.67 [1.42-1.97]), primigest (OR=1.64 [1.41-1.89]), having other occupations except being student (OR = 1.68 [1.20-2.33]), aged between 20-49 years (OR=3.14 [2.51-3.93]) and the duration of stay less than a year in their locality (OR=5.33 [4.61-10.16]) and these factors were identified as main risk factors associated with HIV prevalence.Conclusion: Burkina Faso remains among the countries with concentrated epidemics despite a significant reduction in the prevalence observed in this study. The inclusion of identified risk factors in the national HIV program could improve the quality of the response to the epidemic.Keywords: HIV-Pregnant Women-Risk Factors-Burkina Fas

Community assessment of availability, consumption, and cultural acceptability of food sources of (pro)vitamin A: Toward the development of a dietary intervention among preschool children in rural Burkina Faso

Vitamin A deficiency remains a public health problem in Burkina Faso and elsewhere in the developing world. Dietary diversification is a promising strategy that needs to be explored to strengthen the country's ongoing supplementation program. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to identify locally available and acceptable (pro)vitamin A-rich foods to be included in a dietary intervention addressing vitamin A deficiency in children aged six months to three years. METHODS: A food ethnographic study combining recall methods, observation, and focused group discussion was conducted in the dry and rainy seasons. Thirty-five mother-child pairs were randomly selected and included in the study. RESULTS: The dietary pattern of children was characterized by low diversity with extremely low energy and vitamin A intake in both seasons. The study identified the availability of numerous (pro)vitamin A-rich foods, but these foods are either not consumed or consumed by few in low amounts and/or in low frequencies. The main constraining factors identified are related to financial accessibility (for liver), seasonal availability (for egg, milk, mango, papaya, and green leafy vegetables), and beliefs related to consumption and preparation (for green leafy vegetables). However, the study also revealed that the study population associated all identified (pro)vitamin A-rich foods with positive attributes such as health, strength, and vitamin richness, which might offer an entry point for designing and implementing dietary interventions. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the findings of this formative research, intervention strategies with mango and liver are proposed to improve the vitamin A intake and status of children in the rural areas of Burkina Faso

Prevalence of occult hepatitis B virus infection among blood donors in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Background: In Burkina Faso, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay is not routinely used in the biological qualification of blood donations and this constitutes a risk factor for the transmission of occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection during blood transfusion. The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence of occult B infection (OBI) among blood donors for the purposes of improved blood safety in Burkina Faso. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study of 300 HBsAg negative blood donors was conducted in the city of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso from April to October 2020. Anti-HBc antibody was determined using the BOSON® brand rapid tests. HBV DNA was detected in 75 selected donors by real-time PCR (rt PCR) using the 7500 Fast Real Time PCR assay technique. Results: Of the 300 HBsAg negative donors, 208 (69.3%) were males while 92 (30.7%) were females, with average age of 30.18 years. Anti-HBc antibody was detected in 39 cases (13%). Of the 75 donor samples tested by rt PCR, 3 (4%) were positive for HBV DNA (occult B infection); 2 of which were anti-HBc antibody positive (seropositive OBI) while 1 was anti-HBc antibody negative (seronegative OBI). Conclusion: Given the prevalence of OBI of 4% in this study and its consequences in blood recipients, it appears necessary that in addition to the classic serological markers of hepatitis B, to test for the presence of HBV DNA among blood donors in order to improve transfusion safety. Keywords: Prevalence, Occult B infection; Blood donors, Ouagadougou.   French title: Prévalence de l'infection occulte par le virus de l'hépatite B chez les donneurs de sang à Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso Contexte: Au Burkina Faso, la polymérase chain réaction (PCR) n’est pas utilisée lors de la qualification biologique des dons et cela constitue un facteur de risque de transmission de l’Infection Occulte du virus B (VHB) lors des transfusions sanguines. L’objectif de cette étude était de déterminer la prévalence de l’infection occulte B chez les donneurs de sang en vue d’une meilleure sécurité transfusionnelle. Méthodologie: Une étude transversale prospective, réalisée d’avril à octobre 2020 dans la ville de Ouagadougou incluant 300 donneurs de sang AgHBs négatif. L’anticorps anti HBc a été déterminé par les tests rapides de marque BOSON®. L’ADN du VHB a été recherché chez 75 donneurs par PCR en temps réel (rt PCR) avec le 7500 Fast Real Time PCR. Résultats: Parmi les 300 donneurs AgHBs négatifs, 208 (69,3%) étaient des hommes et 92 (30,7%) des femmes. L’âge moyen était de 30,18 ans. La recherche de l’Ac anti-HBc était positive dans 39 cas (13 %). Parmi les 75 échantillons passés à la rt PCR, 3 (4%) étaient positifs pour l’ADN du VHB. Sur les 3 cas d’ADN VHB positifs, 2 (66,67%) étaient positifs Ac anti HBc et 1 (33,33%) Ac anti HBc négatif. Conclusion: Compte tenu de la prévalence de l’infection occulte B et ses conséquences chez les donneurs de sang et chez les receveurs, il devient nécessaire de rechercher, en plus des marqueurs sérologiques classiques de l’hépatite B, l’ADN VHB pour une meilleure sécurité transfusionnelle. Mots clés: Prévalence, Infection occulte de l’HBV, Donneurs de sang, Ouagadougou &nbsp

Residual mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Burkina Faso

Background: Burkina Faso is one of the countries in West Africa most affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, despite the implementation of a mother-to-child HIV transmission prevention program as a strategy to reduce the risk of vertical transmission of the disease.Objective: To assess the current risk of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Burkina Faso.Materials and methods: A prospective study was conducted between December 2014 and July 2016, in the 13 health regions of Burkina Faso. Women who were screened HIV-positive during a prenatal consultation were followed until delivery. Their babies received dry blood spot (DBS) at birth, at week 6 and at 1year, to screen for HIV.Results: Overall, 186 pregnant women were included in the study, with a mean age of 29.17±6.13 years. Of their children, 430 DBS actually received a PCR test, giving a 91.1% PCR implementation rate. After analyses, 6 (1.3%) babies were identified as carriers of HIV1. The newborn’s serological status was associated with delivery pattern (p=0.000), the administration of antiretroviral drugs to the mother after delivery (p=0.0064), the administration of Nevirapine to the newborn at birth (p=0.022), the use of contraceptive methods after delivery (p=0.028) and the presence of breast affections/infections since delivery (p=0.013).Conclusion: The results of our study are encouraging and demonstrate the effectiveness of interventions in the mother-tochild prevention program (PMTCT) for HIV-positive pregnant women can be improved through early initiation of triple therapy in early pregnancy and improved adherence to antiretroviral (ARV) therapy.Keywords: Burkina Faso, HIV/AIDS, mother-to-child transmission, antiretroviral drugs, pregnant wome

The future of food security, environments and livelihoods in Western Africa. Four socio-economic scenarios. CCAFS Working Paper no. 130.

This working paper examines the development of regional socioeconomic scenarios for West Africa’s development, agriculture, food security and climate impacts. We present four globally consistent regional scenarios framed and outlined by regional experts who crafted narratives and determined key drivers of change. Stakeholders identified the type of actors driving change and the timeline of strategic planning as the most uncertain and most relevant factors of change affecting food security, livelihoods and environments in the region. The scenarios were linked to the IPCC community’s global Shared Socio-economic Pathways(SSPs) and quantified using two agricultural economic models, GLOBIOM and IMPACT, in interaction with drivers outlined by the SSPs and guided by semi-quantitative information from the stakeholders. The quantification of the scenarios has provided additional insights into the possible development of Western Africa in the context of a global economy as well as how the agricultural sector may be affected by climate change. The scenarios process highlights the need to combine socio-economic and climate scenarios, to base these scenarios in regional expertise, and ways to make scenarios useful for policy design. The objective of this working paper is to provide scenarios for future regional development for West Africa on the future of food security, environment, and rural livelihoods as well as offer details of the multi-stakeholder scenarios development process. Using both qualitative and quantitative scenarios we provide insights into the possible development of West Africa as well as a scalable framework for regional decision makers and the scientific community to use scenarios to build and test policies to make them more robust in the face of future uncertainty. In these scenarios, strong economic development increases food security and agricultural development. Increased crop and livestock productivity may lead to an expansion of agricultural areas within the region but productivity improvements may reduce the pressure on land elsewhere. In the context of a global economy, West Africa remains a large consumer and producer of a selection of commodities. However, the growth in population in combination with rising incomes may lead to increases in the region’s imports. For West Africa, climate change is likely to have negative effects on both crop yields and grassland productivity, and lack of investment in agriculture may exacerbate them. The aim of the regional scenarios is provide challenging contexts for policy makers to test and develop a range of national and regional policies. To date, the scenarios have been used in a number of policy design processes which include collaborations with ECOWAS priority setting, the National Plan for the Rural Sector for Burkina Faso (PNSR), and district and national level policy processes in Ghana