Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso
As a priority country for the United States government’s Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA), Burkina Faso is accelerating its progress toward preventing, detecting, and responding to emerging threats from infectious diseases. This objective is undertaken with the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in collaboration with other actors and specifically through work that was conducted by the USAID-funded MEASURE Evaluation project.
The work centered on strengthening the disease surveillance system in Burkina Faso using the One Health approach, which involves collaboration among the human, animal, and environmental sectors to mitigate the risks of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases—particularly zoonotic and disease outbreaks (epizootic diseases) among animals. MEASURE Evaluation helped improve the availability of good-quality health data at all levels of the health system and increased multisectoral coordination working in the Center-South region of Burkina Faso. Also, MEASURE Evaluation built capacity to manage the disease surveillance information system to enhance resilience and improve government ministries’ capacity for data-driven decision making and rapid response to disease outbreaks.
Approaches to GHSA in Burkina Faso
Event-Based Surveillance: Surveillance of diseases with epidemic and epizootic potential in Burkina Faso has traditionally involved the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries (MRAH), largely through passive surveillance of patients as they access health services. This surveillance has been expanded into a community-based approach using trained community health agents. This strategy engaged the community to expand disease surveillance capabilities and adopted the One Health approach to detect potential epidemics among humans and animals, enabling different ministries to track the highest-priority zoonotic diseases. MEASURE Evaluation worked with national and provincial technical representatives from multiple sectors, including the MOH, the MRAH, and the Ministry of the Environment, Green Economy, and Climate Change (MEEVCC) to redesign surveillance training and strategy. The multisector surveillance system in the Pô District, Center-South Region, includes service providers—nurses, veterinarians, and forestry officers—as trainers, supervisors, and investigators to work with community agents, volunteers, and eco-guards and trackers to identify, investigate, report, and confirm suspected cases of human and animal disease with epidemic potential.
One Health Electronic Platform: The government of Burkina Faso is investing in the development of information and communication technology infrastructure to link all government entities that contribute to the One Health approach. MEASURE Evaluation supported providing Internet connectivity to directorates of the three ministries involved and to their administrative offices or posts to share data about unusual or suspicious events occurring at the community level. Focusing on the main objective of the project—building an efficient and resilient zoonotic disease surveillance system—MEASURE Evaluation developed a One Health electronic platform for the MOH, MRAH, and MEEVCC so that notified disease events are monitored nearly in real-time, with measurable indicators that would prompt a response if an emerging epidemic were detected. This platform accommodates other crucial actors, such as national laboratories. MEASURE Evaluation also developed interoperability software to synchronize the One Health platform and other electronic health systems into a unified online data architecture to improve data collection and data entry skills at facilities and improve the efficiency and quality of data transmission to higher administrative levels.
Related Content
Performance of Routine Information System Management Assessment in Burkina Faso (2018)
Manuel des procédures de gestion de l’information sanitaire « One-Health » au Burkina Faso
L’architecture d'entreprise « une seule santé » du Burkina Faso
La plateforme électronique « One Health » du Burkina Faso
The One Health Electronic Platform in Burkina Faso
Implementing Event-Based Surveillance in Burkina Faso: Using the “One Health” Approach
L’évolution de la stratégie de surveillance « Une seule santé » au Burkina Faso
