Investigation of Cough Cases in Burkina Faso: Epidemiological Profile and Environmental Factors Contributing to the November 2023 Outbreak
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18549815Keywords:
event surveillance, acute respiratory infections, Covid-19, tuberculosis, pollution, health district, Burkina FasoAbstract
Introduction. In Burkina Faso, the burden of acute and chronic respiratory diseases on the population remains high. Following a report of coughing cases in the village of Gomboussougou, an epidemiological investigation was conducted to assess the scale of the problem and implement measures to control the situation. Patients and Methods. This was a cross-sectional study conducted from November 14 to November 18, 2023, in the commune of Gomboussougou in Burkina Faso on suspected cases of cough. Results. A total of 347 cases of cough were enrolled during the investigation. The distribution of suspected cases by age shows that the 30–45 age group was most affected, accounting for 51.3%. The respiratory conditions reported through the epidemiological surveillance system, were influenza-like syndromes (2,171 cases), severe acute respiratory infections (20 cases), and tuberculosis (41 cases). During investigation, the respiratory conditions detected were COVID-19 (22 cases), tuberculosis (43 cases), and fibrosis (52 cases). In the multivariate analysis, the association between the profession of gold panning (artisanal gold mining) and the duration of this profession was statistically associated with the diagnosis of fibrosis in patients presenting with cough during this investigation in Gomboussougou in a significant manner (threshold of 0.05). Conclusion. The investigation confirmed the presence of acute and chronic respiratory diseases with identified risk factors. It enabled the identification of needs and the implementation of initial public health measures.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Ouedraogo HS, Kafando L, Porgho S, Kabore P, Yanogo GT, Combary A, Kambou FF, Daourou P, Sawadogo L, Sawadogo I, Anata Soré, Soubeiga JK, Zigani A

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