On World Health Day 2026, the World Health Organization highlighted three African health researchers using science to improve lives, with Dr. Alice Guingané of Burkina Faso sharing how a preventable child’s death shaped her mission to stop mother-to-child hepatitis B transmission.
Guingané, a hepato-gastroenterologist and lecturer-researcher at Joseph Ki-Zerbo University in Ouagadougou, described her threefold role as providing care, teaching, and conducting research, all guided by scientific evidence in clinical decision-making and community outreach.
Her motivation stems from losing a nine-year-old boy to liver cancer linked to hepatitis B, despite the existence of a birth vaccine, driving her to focus research on improving timely care access for pregnant women and preventing vertical transmission.
She leads Burkina Faso’s WHO-supported project on triple elimination of HIV, syphilis, and mother-to-child hepatitis B, pooling resources and generating decision-ready data, while also contributing to the HEPSANET network for stronger viral hepatitis epidemiology across Africa.
Guingané stressed that societal engagement is vital for health research, noting that sociocultural barriers can depart free services underused without community participation, and that local authorities must guide, regulate, and finance research to enable evidence-based policy.
Producing local data allows nations to define their own health priorities, she said, adding that science reduces mortality, improves quality of life, drives innovation, and strengthens national sovereignty through self-reliance in health decision-making.
Parallel events in Guinea-Bissau saw the launch of REFIC, a department for teaching and scientific research, alongside a scientific exhibition, as officials emphasized science’s role in vaccines, early diagnosis, treatments, and evidence-based policies to advance women’s health and reduce maternal mortality.
The Guinea-Bissau ceremony also highlighted the introduction of the malaria vaccine into routine immunization and the need to expand hepatitis B protection from birth, while underscoring that scientific progress must pair with equity, gender equality, human rights, and universal health coverage.
In Guinea, Dr. Kadiatou Diallo of Donka National Hospital and Gamal Abdel Nasser University echoed the call for science-based hospital care, stating that relying on evidence reduces medical errors and limits intuition-driven practices, especially in resource-limited settings.
Diallo pointed to advances in digestive endoscopy, interventional treatments, gut microbiome research, nutrition’s role in preventing fatty liver disease, and AI-assisted test interpretation as key inspirations in her field of hepatology and gastroenterology.
She emphasized that training health workers to understand and apply scientific evidence is essential for consistent use of data in hospital decision-making, a step toward more standardized and equitable care.
How does community involvement affect the success of health research in Burkina Faso?
Guingané explained that without community participation, even free health services may remain underused due to sociocultural barriers, making society a central component of effective research.
What specific project is Dr. Guingané leading to combat infectious diseases in Burkina Faso?
She is the principal investigator for a WHO-supported initiative targeting the triple elimination of HIV, syphilis, and mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B, designed to pool resources and generate usable data for decision-makers.
Why does producing local health data matter for national sovereignty according to Dr. Guingané?
Generating one’s own data enables a country to define its health priorities, support evidence-based decision-making, reduce mortality, and drive innovation without overreliance on external sources.
What common theme connected the World Health Day 2026 events across Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, and Burkina Faso?
All events highlighted the integration of science into health systems under the theme “Together for health. Stand with science,” emphasizing evidence-based care, research investment, and equitable access to prevention and treatment.