Burkina Faso, in the heart of West Africa, is known for its dry season (mid-October to April) and its rainy season (May to mid-October). Every year, the rainy season alerts of the beginning of one of the biggest seasonal epidemiological challenges in the country: malaria. The malaria peak is observed from October end even till January, as was the case last year.
According to the World Health Organization, the plasmodium infection is responsible for 43% of the medical consultations during the rainy season, and for 22% of the deaths in the country. The majority of the infections are among women and children younger than five. Globally, Burkina Faso is among the ten top countries most affected by malaria: 3% of the global cases and 4% of the global deaths.
On top of that, the country faces different peaks of dengue fever (infection due to the tiger mosquito) and a wave of intensification of cases of waterborne diseases with risk of epidemics.
Today, with the humanitarian and security crisis that the country has been going through since 2015, this challenge is increasingly exacerbated by the scarcity of basic infrastructure in the cities and the regions that are most affected.
Since 2017, MSF is responding to the different emergencies in the country, and the intervention strategy differs according to the different emergencies, needs and areas of intervention. In additional to our medical activities in our projects, we provide support when needed to the health authorities to respond to these emergencies.