Background: Neonatal mortality remains a public health concern in developing countries such as Burkina Faso. Improving the survival rate of newborns requires a good knowledge of the current situation. This study aimed at determining the risk factors for neonatal mortality in the Neonatology Department of Saint Camille Hospital of Ouagadougou (HOSCO - Hôpital Saint ...

Background: Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is still a public health problem across the globe and also in Burkina Faso, especially for under-five-years-old children. Since less information is available about the prevalence of VAD among the primary school children, this study aimed to study this area. Methods: A randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial was conducted to assess the effect of hi...

BACKGROUND The many forms of healthcare fee exemptions implemented in Burkina Faso since the 2000s have varied between total exemption (free) and cost subsidisation. This article examines both options, their contextual variations and the ways in which they affect access to healthcare for vulnerable people as well as the operation of the health system. This research is part of an interdisciplina...

BACKGROUND The prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) is reportedly growing fast in sub-Saharan Africa. There is however a scarcity of epidemiologic data on DM in Burkina Faso. We carried out a secondary analysis of the first survey conducted in Burkina Faso on a nationally representative sample following the World Health Organization (WHO) Stepwise approach to risk factors Surveillance (STEPS) f...

BACKGROUND The live oral rotavirus (RV) vaccines have shown a reduced efficacy in Africa. Recent in vitro studies have shown binding of the RV surface protein (VP4) to histo-blood group antigens (HBGAs) in an RV genotype-dependent manner, suggesting them to be putative receptors for RV. The diversity of HBGA phenotypes in different ethnic populations, combined with prevalence/absence of specifi...

It is important to understand and account for seasonal variation in food and nutrient intakes when planning interventions to combat micronutrient deficiencies in resource-poor settings. The objective of the present study was to quantify food and nutrient intakes and assess the adequacy of micronutrient intakes among young children and their mothers during the lean and post-harvest (PH) seasons ...

Prior to a chimpanzee adenovirus-based (ChAd63) malarial vaccine trial, sera were collected to assess ChAd63-specific neutralizing antibody titers in Banfora (Burkina Faso). The low neutralizing antibody titers reported in both adults and children (median titers, 139.1 and 35.0, respectively) are encouraging for the potential use of ChAd63 as a malarial vaccine vector.

We examined the distribution of hematological parameters in 186 adults (89 female, 97 male) living in Nouna, Burkina Faso. Median (5 th – 95 th percentile) hemoglobin concentration was 12.6 [10.3-15.3] g/dl, which was lower than reported from other populations in Africa. Iron deficiency may be the most important reason for this observation.

Burkina Faso is one of the Subsaharan African nations. No national services for monitoring of antibiotic resistance are available, so the number of reports of resistance patterns among hospital pathogens are inconsistent. In order to evaluate antibiotic resistance, a total of 1998 valuable microrganisms were analysed during 2000 at the Medical Centre St. Camille of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso's c...

1. GENERAL (INCLUDING LAND USE) 5816 Cattand, P., 1988. Sleeping sickness re-awakes. World Health, 1988 (July): 24-25. Trypanosomiases and Leishmaniases Unit, WHO, 1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland. An alarming increase in the number of sleeping sickness cases in many historically endemic areas, where previously good surveillance had reduced incidence to a very low level, demonstrates what can happen...