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Hepatitis remain a real public health challenge in Burkina Faso. Each year, they take many lives, although the treatment of hepatitis C is fully free. for hepatitis B, management is free for pregnant women and newborns, while the rest of the population benefits from state-subsidized drugs. However, this disease could be avoided thanks to early screening. Reporting.
Thursday, August 21, 2025.In Ouagadougou, the sky has just washed with beneficial rain. in the still damp streets, we drive to karpala, a district located east of the capital. There saw Claire Hortense Sanon, a woman whose name is inseparable from the fight against hepatitis. President of the SOS hepatitis association, she herself bears the burden of the disease, but made her fight. She is waiting for us.
After about thirty minutes, we arrive in Karpala. Claire Hortense Sanon remembers 1998. That day, she went to the national blood transfusion center to donate her blood. At the end of the exams,the new falls: it is suffering from hepatitis B.
Breath cut, she wonders: ” Who sent me here? ». She, who by an altruistic gesture wanted to save lives thanks to the gift of blood, brutally discovers her own fragility. At the time, malaria wreaked havoc and many hospitalized children died for lack of blood.
“I had heard of hospitalized children who needed blood. It was the time when malaria was wreaking havoc. So, I volunteered and went to Yalgado Hospital, to the Blood Bank. All proud, I thought my gesture was going to save a life, “she says.
I was shocked
Hard blow: The analyzes reveal that it is positive for hepatitis B. claire Hortense Sanon admits that it ignored the existence of this disease. “I was told that it was a very serious illness, without remedy. I was shocked and stayed there, motionless. Fortunately, the person who announced the news told me that they had natural products “she testifies.
Claire Hortense Sanon says that she has never bought these products. At the time, a sachet cost 8,000 CFA francs, an amount it could not afford. In addition, it was necessary to consume a large quantity over a long period to hope for an effect.
« I was looking for myself, unemployed, and I wanted to mount my gym. Everything seemed empty in front of me. I did not opt for the purchase of t
Hepatitis: silent Threat, Accessible Treatment in Burkina Faso
Hepatitis, a disease that can remain asymptomatic, frequently enough evolves silently, highlighting the critical importance of early screening. While some individuals experience symptoms, others do not, according to health officials.
Hepatitis is not transmitted by saliva
Hepatitis is primarily transmitted through blood, sexual contact, and vertical transmission – from mother to child during childbirth. Addressing common misconceptions, the coordinator of the health sectoral program firmly states, “Hepatitis is not transmitted by saliva.”
The main transmission routes are blood,sexual contact,and vertical transmission,he emphasizes. this pathology is not only devastating but also carries a high cost of care. Burkina Faso has made meaningful strides by providing free treatment for hepatitis C and subsidizing medication for hepatitis B.
“The exams are expensive and the products are too. Burkina has been able to make things happen,providing hepatitis B drugs for hepatitis B,and subsidizing products for the entire population,” he explains. Furthermore,treatment and medication are entirely free for pregnant women with hepatitis B.
The sectoral health program to combat hepatitis focuses on four key strategies: prevention through vaccination and increased public awareness. Since 2022, Burkina Faso has implemented a policy of vaccinating all newborns of HIV-positive mothers within the first 24 hours, with the vaccine provided free of charge.
Screening, a powerful weapon…
Screening represents a second powerful strategy. “It is indeed systematic in pregnant women and blood donors,” the coordinator notes. Beyond these groups, mass screenings are regularly conducted throughout the country.
The third strategy centers on management, encompassing not only the availability of quality products but also the training of health personnel. Health authorities and development partners are united in their determination to eliminate this disease, driving the decentralization of its management.
Currently, the sectoral health program is developing a document to be accessible to all health personnel, even at the peripheral level, ensuring that individuals testing positive in a CSPS (Health and social Promotion Center) can receive appropriate care.
Dr. Soma suggests a link between the situation and natural immunity. He adds that early childhood vaccination aims to protect vulnerable individuals. “In six weeks, you can manage to eliminate the virus.
If you take 100 people, 90 of them can eliminate hepatitis. There are even those who will not know that they had it. And it is only the 10% that will know the chronic phase. So, that is to say that naturally, an organism can eject the virus he says.
Dr. Laurent MONYEnga, an epidemiologist in charge of the transmitted diseases program for Burkina WHO, notes that more than 304 million cases of hepatitis are reported annually worldwide. He adds that approximately 1.3 million people die from hepatitis B and C globally each year. In Burkina Faso,over 2 million cases of hepatitis B and around 800,000 cases of hepatitis C are reported.
Many people are sick, but they do not know their serological status
He regrets that the national health information system struggles to identify all cases for proper care. “Many people are sick, but they do not know their serological status.
They do not know that they are sick. While to avoid death and different complications,we must be able to detect all of these cases,assess them,and provide treatment he emphasizes.