Investigation of Cough Cases in Burkina Faso: Epidemiological Profile and Environmental Factors Contributing to the November 2023 Outbreak

Authors

  • Ouedraogo HS Directorate of Public Health Protection, Ministry of Health, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
  • Kafando L
  • Porgho S 2. Directorate General of Public Health, Ministry of Health, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
  • Kabore P Directorate of Public Health Protection, Ministry of Health, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
  • Yanogo GT Directorate of Public Health Protection, Ministry of Health, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
  • Combary A 3. National Tuberculosis Control Programme, Ministry of Health, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
  • Kambou FF Directorate of Public Health Protection, Ministry of Health, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
  • Daourou P Directorate of Public Health Protection, Ministry of Health, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
  • Sawadogo L Directorate of Public Health Protection, Ministry of Health, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
  • Sawadogo I 5. Regional Health Directorate for the Center-South, Ministry of Health, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
  • Anata Soré 5. Regional Health Directorate for the Center-South, Ministry of Health, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
  • Soubeiga JK 2. Directorate General of Public Health, Ministry of Health, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
  • Zigani A 4. National Center for Tuberculosis Control (CNLAT), Ministry of Health, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18549815

Keywords:

event surveillance, acute respiratory infections, Covid-19, tuberculosis, pollution, health district, Burkina Faso

Abstract

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.

References

[1] WHO. Les 10 principales causes de mortalité, https://www.who.int/fr/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/the-top-10-causes-of-death (2020, accessed 4 October 2025).

[2] Avendaño Carvajal L, Perret Pérez C. Epidemiology of Respiratory Infections. In: Bertrand P, Sánchez I (eds) Pediatric Respiratory Diseases. Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 263–272.

[3] Waterer G. The global burden of respiratory infectious diseases before and beyond COVID. Respirology 2023; 28: 95–96.

[4] Essola JK, Weko KAF, Ngondi G, et al. Lower Respiratory Infections in Cameroonian Hospital Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study in the City of Douala. Health Res Afr Vol 3 9 Sept 2025 Pp 83-88; 3: 83–88.

[5] Boutros P, Kassem N, Boudo V, et al. Understanding the Risk Factors, Burden, and Interventions for Chronic Respiratory Diseases in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Scoping Review. Public Health Rev 2024; 45: 1607339.

[6] Anaemene B. Health and Diseases in Africa. In: Akanle O, Adésìnà JO (eds) The Development of Africa. Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 207–226.

[7] Zhai Y, Zhu C, Zhu T, et al. Global, regional, and national burden of chronic respiratory diseases,1990–2021 and predictions to 2035: analysis of data from the global burden of disease study 2021. Ann Med 2025; 57: 2530225.

[8] Le Burkina participera au 2eme forum international sur la pneumonie | UNICEF, https://www.unicef.org/burkinafaso/recits/le-burkina-participera-au-2eme-forum-international-sur-la-pneumonie (accessed 26 December 2023).

[9] Institut National de la Statistique et de la Démographie (INSD). Tuberculose - Taux de notification des nouveaux cas de tuberculose toutes formes et rechutes (p 100 000 hts), https://burkinafaso.opendataforafrica.org/yfvsqcf/tuberculose?lang=en (2025, accessed 4 October 2025).

[10] Thiombiano F. Burkina/Santé : La tuberculose toujours présente, le PNT alerte sur l’urgence d’agir. Lefaso.net, https://lefaso.net/spip.php?article137020#:~:text=Le%20diagnostic%20et%20le%20traitement%20sont%20assur%C3%A9s%20par,CRLAT%20de%20Bobo-Dioulasso%2C%20ainsi%20que%20certaines%20structures%20priv%C3%A9es. (2025, accessed 4 October 2025).

[11] Ministère de la santé/INSP BF. État de santé de la population du Burkina Faso, rapport 2022, http://onsp-sante.bf/publication (2023, accessed 24 January 2021).

[12] KEBE MR, OUANGARE A, TOHOURI R-R, et al. Evaluation de la performance du système d’information sanitaire de routine (PRISM) au Burkina Faso, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341359276_Evaluation_de_la_performance_du_systeme_d%27information_sanitaire_de_routine_PRISM_au_Burkina_Faso (2020).

[13] Ministère de la santé, Burkina Faso. Surveillance des maladies et évènements de santé publique : situation épidémiologique de la semaine épidémiologique 1 à 18 de l’année 2025 au Burkina Faso. 2025; p7.

[14] CICDOC. La Surveillance Basée sur les Évènements, https://cicdoc.org/2023/10/14/la-surveillance-basee-sur-les-evenements/ (2023, accessed 26 September 2025).

[15] Wikipédia. Gomboussougou (département), https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gomboussougou_(d%C3%A9partement) (2025, accessed 4 October 2025).

[16] Programme National de lutte contre la Tubercuose B. Guide Technique de Lutte Contre la Tuberculose - PNT TB 2022 Version 3, https://www.studocu.com/row/document/universite-thomas-sankara/td-magnetostatique/pnt-guide-technique-tb-2022-vf-3/97612359 (2022, accessed 4 October 2025).

[17] Ilboudo AK, Cissé A, Milucky J, et al. Predictors of severity and prolonged hospital stay of viral acute respiratory infections (ARI) among children under five years in Burkina Faso, 2016–2019. BMC Infect Dis 2024; 24: 331.

[18] Mulupi S, Ayakaka I, Tolhurst R, et al. What are the barriers to the diagnosis and management of chronic respiratory disease in sub-Saharan Africa? A qualitative study with healthcare workers, national and regional policy stakeholders in five countries. BMJ Open 2022; 12: e052105.

[19] Méda ZC, Sanou Teys G, Adjima C, et al. Tuberculose résistante au Burkina Faso : audit organisationnel et enquête de satisfaction. Sante Publique Vandoeuvre--Nancy Fr 2024; 36: 97–107.

[20] Nkuba B, Zahinda Mugisho F, Muhanzi Aganze G. Technologies (ir) responsables dans l’orpaillage: quels risques pour l’environnement et la santé? Cas de Kamituga et Misisi, RDC. Work Pap Antwerp Inst Dev Policy Manag Univ Anvers Inst Polit Gest Dév-Antwerp, https://repository.uantwerpen.be/docstore/d:irua:10352 (2021, accessed 15 July 2024).

[21] Richard M, Moher P, Hamza D. La santé dans l’orpaillage et l’exploitation minière artisanale : Un manuel pour instructeurs, Artisanal gold council. Victoria, 2015.

[22] Shanks GD. Historical gold mining infectious disease epidemics. Intern Med J 2022; 52: 1441–1445.

[23] Bourouiba L. Fluid Dynamics of Respiratory Infectious Diseases. Annu Rev Biomed Eng 2021; 23: 547–577.

[24] Wong EB, Olivier S, Gunda R, et al. Convergence of infectious and non-communicable disease epidemics in rural South Africa: a cross-sectional, population-based multimorbidity study. Lancet Glob Health 2021; 9: e967–e976.

[25] Ratshikhopha E, Muvhali M, Naicker N, et al. Disease Severity and Comorbidities among Healthcare Worker COVID-19 Admissions in South Africa: A Retrospective Analysis. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2022; 19: 5519.

[26] Kaboré NF, Ouédraogo S, Mamguem AK, et al. Incidence rate and predictors of COVID-19 in the two largest cities of Burkina Faso - prospective cohort study in 2021 (ANRS-COV13). BMC Infect Dis 2023; 23: 394.

Downloads

Published

02/25/2026

How to Cite

Ouedraogo HS, Kafando L, Porgho S, Kabore P, Yanogo GT, Combary A, … Zigani A. (2026). Investigation of Cough Cases in Burkina Faso: Epidemiological Profile and Environmental Factors Contributing to the November 2023 Outbreak. HEALTH RESEARCH IN AFRICA, 4(3), 65–71. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18549815

Most read articles by the same author(s)

Similar Articles

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 > >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.