Global health officials say the dengue fever outbreak in the African nation of Burkina Faso continues to spread particularly in the central region of the country, which contains the capital city of Ouagadougou.

Image/CIA
Image/CIA

Since our last report, the number of cases have essentially doubled in the country (6,699 suspected, probable or confirmed cases and 13 deaths on Oct. 27 versus 12,087 cases and 24 deaths through Nov. 11).

Despite the high numbers, officials say the number of cases in the Central region and a dozen other regions is decreasing slightly.

Characterization of samples has identified three dengue virus serotypes: DENV-2, DENV-3, and DENV-1, with DEN-2 predominating (74%).

A number of public health actions are being taken to include spatial spraying of sites with high densities of Aedes aegypti in Ouagadougou, the provision of diagnostic kits and a public information campaign being disseminated via radio, TV and social media.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says although the dengue fever incidence in Burkina Faso has decreased in recent weeks, there is a need for continued surveillance and response. Specifically, there is a lack of financial resources to continue vector control activities, including the campaign currently ongoing in Ouagadougou, the area most affected by the outbreak. Active surveillance, effective vector control, case management, and social mobilization are particularly critical for the control of this outbreak.

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