At a glance
CDC began collaborating with the Ministry of Health (MOH) of Burkina Faso in 1991. The initial technical support for polio eradication expanded to include other vaccine preventable diseases, such as measles and meningitis. CDC established an office in Burkina Faso in 2016. CDC Burkina Faso works closely with the MOH and partner organizations to build effective public health collaboration and partnerships to detect, prevent, and respond to global public health threats. CDC’s work aims to protect the health of Americans and support public health around the world.
Key accomplishments
- Supports antimicrobial resistance (AMR) detection and surveillance capacities at the national AMR reference laboratory and in 22 sentinel sites throughout the country
- Provided reagents for the detection of dengue, zika and chikungunya since 2018
- Supported training for over 520 professionals who graduated from the Field Epidemiology Training Program and 44 from the Global Laboratory Leadership Program
- Supported the establishment and operationalization of the National Public Health Institute
- Supported the establishment of the Public Health Emergency Operations Center
- Supported the operationalization of the Central Reference Laboratory
- Provided research, technical assistance, and leadership to inform future pneumococcal conjugate vaccine policy to help achieve higher vaccine coverage
- Collaborated with MOH's Direction Générale de la Santé Publique and L’Institut National de Santé Publique (INSP) to establish a national public health bulletin, which serves as the primary communication channel for disseminating timely and reliable information to improve the public’s health
Global health security
CDC's global health security work focuses on strengthening the country's public health systems across the following core areas:
Surveillance systems
CDC facilitates the implementation of surveillance of priority disease in more than 14 sentinel sites across the country. CDC also supports data management, training, monitoring, laboratory capacity strengthening, and specimen transport.
Laboratory systems strengthening
The continued presence of high priority diseases highlights the urgent need to strengthen laboratory surveillance to detect them accurately and rapidly. CDC's collaboration in building laboratory capacity in Burkina Faso ensures rapid detection of and response to disease.
Workforce development
CDC supports workforce development through the Global Laboratory Leadership Program (GLLP), the Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP), and the Public Health Emergency Management (PHEM) Fellowship.
GLLP works to foster and mentor current and emerging leaders to build, strengthen, and sustain national laboratory systems. The program emphasizes a One Health approach. Leaders are trained to determine appropriate laboratory diagnostics and build strong collaborative networks with relevant sectors at every level of the health system. GLLP’s first cohort was composed of 18 participants and nine mentors from the human, animal, food, and environmental laboratory sectors.
CDC established FETP in 2010 with the collaboration from the African Field Epidemiology Network. The program consists of three levels of training: frontline, intermediate, and advanced tiers. The intermediate and advanced programs received TEPHINET accreditation. FETP has generated support in surveillance data analyses, surveillance system evaluations, and studies of public health issues. FETP graduates have supported outbreak investigations and responses for measles, meningitis, polio, yellow fever, rabies, dengue, cholera, hepatitis E, and COVID-19.
The PHEM Fellowship is a three-month training program that aims to strengthen public health emergency management capacity.
Emergency response
CDC helps develop emergency management systems to train MOH staff and leadership for improved responses to disease outbreaks and other public health emergencies. In 2018, CDC supported the establishment of the Public Health Emergency Operations Center, known as the Centre des Opérations de Réponse aux Urgences Sanitaires.
National Public Health Institute (NPHI)
In 2018, Burkina Faso established a National Public Health Institute, L’Institut National de Santé Publique (INSP). With CDC’s technical and financial support, the INSP has engaged in strategic planning, reinforced public health surveillance, and promoted the use of evidence to inform decisions. CDC support helped build staff capacity, enhance logistics, and strengthen public health communications.
HIV and TB
As a key implementer of the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), CDC plays an essential role in the fight against HIV and TB. With unmatched scientific and technical knowledge and long-standing relationships with ministries of health, CDC is uniquely positioned to advance HIV, TB, and other global health security activities that keep Americans safe at home and abroad.
Through PEPFAR, CDC provides critical support to Burkina Faso's public health infrastructure, improving the country's ability to prevent, detect, and respond to HIV, TB, and other infectious diseases and minimizing their risk from entering the U.S.
Immunization
CDC partnered with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in Burkina Faso to measure the impact of a schedule change for the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. High vaccine coverage can improve quality of life and save the lives of thousands of vulnerable children. CDC supported COVID-19 immunization through different activities. Projects included training, vaccine delivery to priority populations, data quality improvement, management and utilization, and strategic planning.
One Health
Since 2017, Burkina Faso tracks five priority zoonotic diseases. This includes dengue, rabies, anthrax, brucellosis, and highly pathogenic avian influenza. CDC supported the implementation of a sentinel surveillance system for dengue and arboviruses. Since 2018, CDC continually provides reagents for the detection of Dengue, Zika and Chikungunya. CDC also provides technical and financial support for the operationalization of the One Health platform.
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