The Aedes albopictus mosquito, commonly known as the Asian tiger mosquito, is driving a severe dengue and chikungunya fever crisis in Burkina Faso. According to official data, from January to mid-October 2023, 50,478 suspected dengue cases were reported, including 25,502 probable cases and 214 fatalities

During the single week of October 9-15, authorities recorded 10,117 new suspected cases, with 4,377 confirmed and 48 deaths. The outbreak remains active in major urban centers, particularly Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso.

urgent response measures

Rising temperatures and intense rainfall have created ideal breeding conditions for disease-carrying mosquitoes. Health Minister Robert Lucien Jean-Claude Kargougou emphasizes that “effective response requires immediate action, including free rapid diagnostic tests in public health facilities and targeted insecticide spraying campaigns in affected areas”.

While Burkina Faso has experienced dengue cases since the 1960s, the first major outbreak occurred in 2017, resulting in 13 deaths. Transmitted through infected mosquito bites, dengue shares symptoms with malaria and poses a significant threat in tropical urban regions, causing between 100 and 400 million infections annually worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.