Leishmania major and HIV co-infection in Burkina Faso

The incidence of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) has increased in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso since 1996. A study was carried out from September to November 2000 to determine the impact of HIV on this outbreak. Of 74 CL patients, 10 were co-infected with HIV. The percentage of CL in patients positive for HIV was slightly higher than the percentage of HIV patients in Ouagadougou. However, the study showed that HIV infection did not increase the risk of CL infection.     

Gender and HIV testing in Burkina Faso: An exploratory study

This study investigated the utilization of services around HIV testing in Burkina Faso through a survey that combined quantitative and qualitative data from 14 selected sites and 299 questionnaires. While some attitudes and behaviors towards HIV testing were similar for women and men, we found lower use of services by men, greater concerns about testing and disclosure on the part of women, and differences between men and women in motivations to test, and the experience of testing and its consequences. The results are discussed in the context of Burkina Faso and in terms of their implications for efforts to improve access to services around HIV.     

Education among orphans and non-orphans in an urban area of Burkina Faso

Abstract

Africa has long dealt with issues surrounding orphanhood and the fostering of children whose parents are no longer alive or available. With the increasing impact of HIV reflected demographically throughout the world, the sociodemographic situation of orphans in sub-Saharan Africa has only grown in visibility and importance. This paper compares orphans and non-orphans living in an urban area of Burkina Faso (Bobo-Dioulasso), with a special focus on school enrolment and delay. We found in univariate analysis that orphans and non‐orphans are equally likely to be enrolled in school, but orphans are more likely to be delayed. Once controlling for sociodemographic differences, however, orphans are not delayed significantly in school when compared with non-orphans. Results suggest that, while orphans may be at educational risk due to other concomitant sociodemographic factors, in this urban area orphan status alone does not significantly predict educational enrolment and short-term outcome.     

Adaptation and biomedical transition of people living with HIV to antiretroviral treatment in Burkina Faso

ABSTRACT

This article examines the adaptation and biomedical transition of people living with HIV (PLHIV) to antiretroviral treatment (ART) in Burkina Faso. The study employs a representative sample of 3625 randomly selected patients. Subjective and objective measures of health and their predictors are compared for short-term (≤24 months) versus longer-term ART adherents (>24 months) in a cohort study. Subjective health is measured as Likert scale self-rating and objective health as CD4 count. The results show that subjective and objective health capture different aspects of adaptation to ART: 90% of the short-term and 94% of the longer-term patients give a subjective health rating of at least good, while the objective measure of good health is higher among longer-term (42%) compared to short-term patients (27%). For subjective health, short-lived pleasures are predictors among short-term adherents while economic characteristics are determinants among longer-term patients. Meanwhile, objective health is associated with factors that determine ART adherence (i.e. participating in self-help groups). To achieve a wholistic resilience management that caters to the needs of PLHIV, we need to acknowledge adaptation to the disease and to ART and design health programs, in particular in developing countries, away from one-size-fits-all solutions to stage-of-disease specific support.     

The ambivalence of stigma and the double-edged sword of HIV/AIDS intervention in Burkina Faso

This article analyses the causes of HIV stigmatisation in Burkina Faso as perceived by people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) and people working in AIDS-related Community Based Organisations (CBOs). Stigmatisation continues to be a pressing issue when dealing with HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa. The article is based on direct observation of HIV-related practices within 20 CBOs in Burkina Faso, as well as semi-structured interviews or focus group discussions with 72 PLHIV and 90 professionals and volunteers working in CBOs. PLHIV were chosen by convenience sampling among the persons who accessed CBO services and were interviewed about their life quality and experience relating to HIV. Professionals and volunteers were interviewed about their strategies, their achievements, and the problems they encountered. The research was conducted in the course of three months fieldwork between September and November 2009. Our principal findings show, firstly, that moral or social stigmatisation does not in any simple way derive from fear, ignorance or inaccurate beliefs but that it is also established and continually reinforced by official campaigns addressing HIV/AIDS. Secondly, we show that stigmatisation is a socially complex and ambiguous process. Based on these empirical findings we conclude that HIV/AIDS need no longer be approached in AIDS intervention as a sexually acquired and fatal disease. When reliable access to antiretroviral drugs is in place, AIDS becomes a chronic condition with which one can live for many years, and this makes it easier to address HIV and moral or social stigmatisation by downplaying the current focus upon sexuality and morality.     

Molecular characterization and genetic susceptibility of sapovirus in children with diarrhea in Burkina Faso

Sapoviruses (SaVs) are a common cause of gastroenteritis in children. In sub-Saharan Africa, there is a scarcity of information regarding SaV as an etiological agent of diarrhea. Here, we investigated the prevalence, molecular characterization and clinico-epidemiological features of SaV infections in children less than 5 years of age with diarrhea in Burkina Faso. We further investigated the role of type 1 histo blood group antigens as susceptibility factors. In total, 309 fecal and 208 saliva samples from diarrheal children in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, were collected between May 2009 and March 2010. SaV was detected using real-time PCR, and genogrouped/genotyped by PCR or sequencing. Saliva samples were ABO, Lewis and secretor phenotyped using in house ELISA assays. We found a high prevalence (18%) and large genetic diversity with all 4 human genogroups, and 9 genotypes/genoclusters circulating during the study period. The SaV infections were generally associated with milder symptoms, and neither ABH, Lewis or secretor phenotypes affected susceptibility to SaV infections.     

Comparison of knowledge on stroke for stroke patients and the general population in Burkina Faso: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundIn many parts of Africa, there is limited information on awareness of symptoms of stroke, risk factors for stroke and willingness for stroke prevention, both in the general population and in people with stroke. Knowledge and preventive efforts for stroke in patients with a history of the illness are rarely investigated. This study aims to investigate awareness of stroke symptoms in stroke patients who were admitted to hospitals within 72 hours of a confirmed stroke event in Burkina Faso. This study also aims to investigate preventive behavior for stroke for the general population.MethodsFace-to-face interviews were conducted with the participants. The sample included 110 first-time stroke patients who had been admitted to one of three tertiary teaching hospitals in Burkina Faso within 72 hours and 750 participants from the general population, who were recruited through clustered sampling. Knowledge of stroke warning signs and current and future efforts on stroke prevention were also assessed.ResultsOnly 30.9% of the stroke patients believed that they were at risk before the stroke episode. Obvious warning signs were unfamiliar to both groups. Only 1.3% of the respondents from the general population group knew sudden weakness face arm or leg as a sign of stroke. For all future efforts in stroke prevention, stroke patients demonstrated significantly lower willingness to undertake behavioral changes than the general population. Sixty-six percent and 85% of the stroke patients and the general population, respectively, were willing to take steps to reduce blood pressure.ConclusionPublic education on stroke warning signs and strategies to increase willingness to engage in preventive behaviors are urgent in African countries. Strategies to improve public awareness for developing countries such as Burkina Faso should be designed differently from that of developed countries to incorporate local beliefs.     

Measles outbreak in Burkina Faso, 2009: a case-control study to determine risk factors and estimate vaccine effectiveness

Objective

We investigated a large measles outbreak that occurred in 2009 in Burkina Faso in order to describe the epidemic, assess risk factors associated with measles, and estimate measles vaccine effectiveness.

Methods

We reviewed national surveillance and measles vaccine coverage data, and conducted a case–control study in three geographic areas. Case-patients were randomly selected from the national case-based measles surveillance database or, when a case-patient could not be traced, were persons in the same community who experienced an illness meeting the WHO measles clinical case definition. Controls were matched to the same age stratum (age 1–14 years or age 15–30 years) and community as case-patients. Risk factors were assessed using conditional logistic regression.

Results

Lack of measles vaccination was the main risk factor for measles in all three geographic areas for children aged 1–14 years (adjusted matched odds ratio [aMOR] [95% confidence interval (CI)], 19.4 [2.4–155.9], 5.9 [1.6–21.5], and 6.4 [1.8–23.0] in Bogodogo, Zorgho, and Sahel, respectively) and persons aged 15–30 years (aMOR [95% CI], 3.2 [1.1–9.7], 19.7 [3.3–infinity], 8.0 [1.8–34.8] in Bogodogo, Zorgho, and Sahel, respectively). Among children aged 1–14 years, VE of any measles vaccination prior to 2009 was 94% (95% CI, 45–99%) in Bogodogo, 87% (95% CI, 37–97%) in Zorgho, and 84% (95% CI, 41–96%) in Sahel. Main reasons for not receiving measles vaccination were lack of knowledge about vaccination campaigns or need for measles vaccination and absence during vaccination outreach or campaign activities.

Conclusion

These results emphasize the need for improved strategies to reduce missed opportunities for vaccination and achieve high vaccination coverage nationwide in order to prevent large measles outbreaks and to continue progress toward measles mortality reduction.     

Health insurance and health-seeking behavior: evidence from a randomized community-based insurance rollout in rural Burkina Faso

In 2004, a community-based health insurance (CBI) scheme was introduced in Nouna district, Burkina Faso, with the primary objective of improving access to facility-based health services. In order to overcome self-selection issues in the analysis of the behavioral effects of insurance, we combine four waves of the Nouna Health District Household Survey into a panel data set, and use the randomized timing of insurance rollout to estimate the causal effect of insurance coverage on health-seeking behavior. While we find a generally positive association between CBI affiliation and treatment seeking, we cannot reject the null that the introduction of health insurance does not have any effect on treatment seeking in general, and utilization of facility-based professional care, in particular. Low levels of health care provider satisfaction, poor perceived quality of care by enrollees, and ambiguity in the coverage level of the CBI benefit package appear to have contributed to these weak results. Our findings imply that the basic notion of insurance mechanically increasing facility-based professional care is not necessarily true empirically, and likely contingent on a large number of contextual factors affecting health-seeking behavior within households and communities.     

乌鲁木齐市HIV/AIDS的子女HIV感染状况及相关行为学调查

目的 了解乌鲁木齐市人类免疫缺陷病毒(HIV)和艾滋病(AIDS)患者(HIV/AIDS)的子女HIV感染情况和相关行为.方法 对259名HIV/AIDS的子女进行HIV抗体进行血清学监测,对调查对象发放统一调查问卷,采用一对一问卷方式进行调查.结果 HIV/AIDS的子女HIV抗体阳性率为2.7％.汉族及其他民族采用剖腹产的比例(72.3％)高于维吾尔族(44.8％),不同民族间喂养情况没有差别.结论 应加强对育龄妇女,尤其是对少数民族孕产妇关于AIDS的宣传,对HIV/AIDS的孕妇实施母婴阻断干预措施.     

Paying the price: the cost and consequences of emergency obstetric care in Burkina Faso

Substantial healthcare expenses can impoverish households or push them further into poverty. In this paper, we examine the cost of obstetric care and the social and economic consequences associated with exposure to economic shocks up to a year following the end of pregnancy in Burkina Faso. Burkina Faso is a low-income country with poor health outcomes and a poorly functioning health system. We present an inter-disciplinary analysis of an ethnographic study of 82 women nested in a prospective cohort study of 1013 women. We compare the experiences of women who survived life-threatening obstetric complications ('near-miss' events) with women who delivered without complications in hospitals. The cost of emergency obstetric care was significantly higher than the cost of care for uncomplicated delivery. Compared with women who had uncomplicated deliveries, women who survived near-miss events experienced substantial difficulties meeting the costs of care, reflecting the high cost of emergency obstetric care and the low socioeconomic status of their households. They reported more frequent sale of assets, borrowing and slower repayment of debt in the year following the expenditure. Healthcare costs consumed a large part of households' resources and women who survived near-miss events continued to spend significantly more on healthcare in the year following the event, while at the same time experiencing continued cost barriers to accessing healthcare. In-depth interviews confirm that the economic burden of emergency obstetric care contributed to severe and long-lasting consequences for women and their households. The necessity of meeting unexpectedly high costs challenged social expectations and patterns of reciprocity between husbands, wives and wider social networks, placed enormous strain on everyday survival and shaped physical, social and economic well-being in the year that followed the event. In conclusion, we consider the implications of our findings for financing mechanisms for maternity care in low-income settings.     

Economic Evaluation of User-Fee Exemption Policies for Maternal Healthcare in Burkina Faso: Evidence From a Cost-Effectiveness Analysis

ObjectivesThe reduction and removal of user fees for essential care services have recently become a key instrument to advance universal health coverage in sub-Saharan Africa, but no evidence exists on its cost-effectiveness. We aimed to address this gap by estimating the cost-effectiveness of 2 user-fee exemption interventions in Burkina Faso between 2007 and 2015: the national 80% user-fee reduction policy for delivery care services and the user-fee removal pilot (ie, the complete [100%] user-fee removal for delivery care) in the Sahel region.MethodsWe built a single decision tree to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the 2 study interventions and the baseline. The decision tree was populated with an own impact evaluation and the best available epidemiological evidence.ResultsRelative to the baseline, both the national 80% user-fee reduction policy and the user-fee removal pilot are highly cost-effective, with incremental cost-effectiveness ratios of $210.22 and $252.51 per disability-adjusted life-year averted, respectively. Relative to the national 80% user-fee reduction policy, the user-fee removal pilot entails an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $309.74 per disability-adjusted life-year averted.ConclusionsOur study suggests that it is worthwhile for Burkina Faso to move from an 80% reduction to the complete removal of user fees for delivery care. Local analyses should be done to identify whether it is worthwhile to implement user-fee exemptions in other sub-Saharan African countries.     

2010-2012年新疆HIV感染产妇及其所生婴儿应用抗艾滋病病毒药物状况分析

目的了解新疆HIV感染产妇及其所生婴儿抗艾滋病病毒药物应用状况及变化趋势。方法对预防艾滋病母婴传播管理信息网络直报系统中报告的2010-2012年间分娩的1303例HIV感染产妇及其所生婴儿抗病毒药物应用情况进行描述性分析。结果1303例HIV感染产妇中,2010-2012年分别有72．58％、77．40％和79．55％的产妇应用了抗病毒药物,并呈逐年上升趋势（×。=6．30,P〈0．05）,HIV感染产妇孕28周及以前开始应用三联方案比例也呈逐年上升趋势（Х^2=13．81,P〈0．01）;HIV感染产妇所生婴儿抗逆转录病毒药物应用比例分别为77．63％、84．91％和84．09％,2011年比2010年上升幅度比较明显,2012年比2011年略有下降（Х^2=8．82,P〈0．01）。结论HIV感染产妇及所生婴儿抗病毒药物应用比例逐年上升,但仍有较大的上升空间,需要进一步提高HIV感染产妇及其所生婴儿抗病毒药物应用比例,从而减少母婴传播的风险。     

艾滋病儿童神经认知障碍相关因素研究进展

目的总结艾滋病儿童神经认知障碍影响因素。方法在PubMed、Web of Science、CNKI、万方和维普数据库,以"艾滋病"、"儿童"、"神经认知障碍"、"脑病"、"影响因素"为主题词或关键词,同时辅以手工检索和文献追溯检索近年相关文献。着重整理影响艾滋病儿童神经认知障碍的因素。对资料进行汇总并撰写综述。结果检索并阅读相关文献100余篇。艾滋病病毒相关因素(HIV损害中枢神经系统、HIV逃逸及病毒储存库、HIV亚型)、宿主因素(启动抗病毒治疗时机、遗传因素、营养状况及合并其他疾病)、抗病毒治疗药物、社会心理因素等均可影响艾滋病感染儿童神经认知。结论为了尽可能避免或降低艾滋病儿童神经认知障碍,应当尽早诊断、尽早给予高效的抗逆转录病毒治疗;随访中应重视神经认知发育的观察和筛查,及早识别神经认知障碍,积极寻找多方面的原因并进行有效干预。     

Hypertension, urbanization, social and spatial disparities: a cross-sectional population-based survey in a West African urban environment (Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso)

Data show that hypertension has become a public health problem in developing countries. Many studies have reported social disparities among the affected populations, but few of them pointed out spatial disparities within towns. We aimed to show that hypertension could be a good indicator of the medical change that occurs unequally in towns. A cross-sectional survey was done in April and October 2004 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, among 2087 adults over 35 years old in different kinds of urban areas. Social and demographic data were collected and blood pressure was measured. Prevalence of hypertension was 40.2%. Age, body mass index, level of equipment, absence of community integration, absence of occupation, duration of residence over 20 years, protein-rich diet and absence of physical activity were identified as risk factors, but there were social and spatial disparities according to location of housing (parcelled-out or non-parcelled-out areas) and to integration within the town. The high rate of hypertension found in Ouagadougou and the heterogeneity of the risk within the population highlights that social and spatial risk factors have to be taken into account for the prevention of the non-transmissible diseases in countries in full process of urbanization and medical change.     

Efficacy of artesunate plus chloroquine for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria in children in Burkina Faso: a double-blind, randomized, controlled trial

Chloroquine (CQ)-resistant Plasmodium falciparum is compromising malaria control in Africa. Combining artesunate (AS) with standard antimalarial drugs increases cure rates and may delay drug resistance. We compared the safety and efficacy of CQ alone and CQ combined with AS (CQ-AS) for treating uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria in Burkina Faso between August 1999 and August 2000. Chloroquine (25 mg/kg over 3 d) combined with AS or placebo (4 mg/kg/d for 3 d) was administered to 300 children aged 6 to 59 months in a randomized, double-blind study. Follow-up extended over 28 d. No adverse drug reactions were recorded. By day 14, parasites were cleared in 120/147 (81.6%) CQ AS-treated children compared with 53/143 (37.1%) CQ-treated children (odds ratio [OR] = 7.55, 95% CI 4.27-13.43, P < 0.001). Corresponding rates for day 28 were 71/145 (49.0%) vs. 27/142 (19.0%) (OR= 4.09, 95% CI 2.33-7.21, P < 0.001). Children who received CQ-AS had significantly faster parasite and fever clearance. Despite the beneficial effects of adding AS, the high failure rate at day 28 of CQ-AS precludes its use as the first-line regimen for treating CQ-resistant P. falciparum in Burkina Faso.     

Preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Vietnam and Indonesia: Diverging care dynamics

How do women and frontline health workers engage in preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT) in urban areas of Vietnam and Indonesia, where HIV is highly stigmatized and is associated with injecting drug use and sex work? This qualitative study explores local dynamics of care, using a mix of observations, focus group discussions, and interviews. In Indonesia the study was conducted in a community-based PMTCT program run by an NGO, while in Vietnam the study explored the care dynamics in routine PMTCT services, implemented by district and provincial public health facilities. In both of these PMTCT arrangements (the routine provider initiated approach in Vietnam and a more client-oriented system in Indonesia), pregnant women value the provision of HIV tests in antenatal care (ANC). Concerns are raised, however, by the unhappy few who test positive. These women are unsatisfied with the quality of counselling, and the failure to provide antiretroviral treatments. Acceptability of HIV testing in ANC is high, but the key policy issue from the perspective of pregnant women is whether the PMTCT services can provide good quality counselling and the necessary follow-up care.We find local level providers of PMTCT are pleased with the PMTCT program. In Vietnam, the PMTCT program offers health workers protection against HIV, since they can refer women away from the district health service for delivery. In Indonesia, community cadres are pleased with the financial incentives gained by mobilizing clients for the program.We conclude that achieving the global aims of reducing HIV infections in children by 50% requires a tailoring of globally designed public health programs to context-specific gendered transmission pathways of HIV, as well as local opportunities for follow-up care and social support.