Seasonal malaria chemoprevention coverage in Burkina Faso in 2018: Descriptive analysis of mothers' knowledge and attitude during cross sectional survey

Seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) is effective to prevent malaria in children 3 to 59 months in the Sahel region. Mother's seasonal malaria chemoprevention related knowledge and attitudes and the coverage of the strategy among targeted children were assessed. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 1828 children aged 3 to 59 months from November 7 to 18, 2018 in eight health regions of Burkina Faso where SMC was implemented with Malaria Consortium supported fund. Data were collected using structured questionnaire and direct inspection of SMC card. MAGPI software was used for data collection and STATA 12.0 was used for the analysis. A total of 1828 children 3 to 59 months were enrolled and 951 mothers interviewed on different aspects of SMC. Overall, the SMC coverage was high for single cycle or for cumulative coverage basis. Single cycle coverage increased over rounds, from mother and tutor's interview (from 87.09% (1592/1828) to 91.19% (1667/1828); p=0.001). Over 91.18% (869/951) knew that SMC objective was to prevent malaria. Overall SMC was well tolerated and most 95.2% (296/320) of mothers and tutors surveyed owned treated bed nets. Despite combining high coverage and treated bed-net use, at least 16.19% remained rapid diagnosis test positives during the survey. SMS coverage was high in the current survey and most mothers knew the relevance of SMC administration with high bed-net coverage.

Effects of Alternative Spatial Distribution Schemes on Household Access Costs of Lipid-based Nutrient Supplements: Case Study in Rural Burkina Faso.

Objectives: Identifying cost-effective strategies for delivering efficacious nutrient supplements is a policy challenge, especially in rural areas. This paper examines the effects of alternative distribution outlet schemes on transportation costs of 3,146 households in the Dandé health clinic catchment area (1,600 sq. km), Burkina Faso, site of the International Lipid-Based Nutrient Supplements Zinc research project. Methods: Spatially referenced data on households, hospitals, clinics and markets, and on the road networks that link them, are combined with the motorized transportation fare structure to construct a distance-based transportation cost overlay. This overlay is then used to estimate the householdspecific, one-way transportation costs under alternative lipid-based nutrient supplement (LNS) distribution outlet schemes. Results: If the full-service Bobo Dioulasso Hospital is the only outlet, average transportation cost is US$ 1.96 and varies widely across households. Including the local Dandé Hospital in the distribution network reduces the average transportation cost to US$ 1.16; the spatial distribution of household access costs changes. Extending the network to include all health centers reduces average transportation cost to US$ 0.60. Adding markets as distribution outlets does not further reduce average transportation costs. Conclusions: Full-service hospital-based (only) distribution is the most costly LNS distribution scheme to households. Extending the network of outlets to include all hospitals, health centers and clinics reduces average households access costs by nearly 70%; doing so shifts the cost burden from households to other entities charged with managing this larger outlet network. At this site, involving retail outlets offers no household transportation costs savings.

Willingness-to-Pay for LNS Products: Evidence from the iLiNS Studies.

Objectives: Households’ stated willingness-to-pay (WTP) for small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements (LNS) influence the economic viability of retail outlets for these products, and will guide public policy action when WTP falls short of LNS production/distribution costs. This presentation provides evidence on WTP for LNS products tested in the context of the International Lipid-Based Nutrient Supplements (iLiNS) Project in Malawi, Ghana and Burkina Faso. Methods: Field-based contingent valuation methods provide estimates of WTP for LNS for pregnant/lactating women (LNS-P&L) and for children 6-24 mo of age (LNS-child), and for their traditional alternatives. Experimental auctions provide incentive-compatible estimates of WTP for LNS-P&L (Ghana) and for LNS-child (Burkina Faso). Results: Average hypothetical WTP at baseline for LNS-child (one 20g sachet) was approximately US$0.39 (Ghana), US$0.23 (Burkina Faso) and US$0.20 (Malawi-DOSE). Average hypothetical WTP at baseline for LNS-P&L (one 20g sachet) was approximately US$0.61 (Ghana) and US$0.17 (Malawi-DYAD). Average experimental WTP for LNS-P&L (20g sachet) was, respectively, approximately US$0.25 (Ghana) and US$0.12 (Burkina Faso). Several household characteristics that could be used for programmatic targeting, e.g., number of children under five years of age, were associated with WTP. Conclusions: Hypothetical WTP is positive for the vast majority of respondents in all study areas and average WTP is above estimated average national production costs for all LNS products; hence, LNS products may be commercially viable. However, large proportions of respondents reported WTP below average production costs (e.g., approximately 6% of respondents reported zero WTP in the Ghana baseline) signalling the need to consider publically assisted mechanisms for reaching resource-poor households.

Comparison of Methods to Assess Adherence to Small-quantity Lipid Based Nutrient Supplements (SQ-LNS) and Dispersible Tablets among Young Burkinabe Children Participating in a Community-based Intervention Trial.

Objectives: Adherence to supplementation provided during an intervention trial can affect study outcomes. We compared different approaches for estimating adherence to SQ-LNS and dispersible tablets in a randomized clinical trial in Burkina Faso to evaluate concordance among results and factors associated with reported non-adherence. Methods: 2453 children (9-18 mo) were randomly assigned to receive daily 20 g SQ-LNS with varying contents of zinc and a dispersible tablet (0 or 5mg zinc). During weekly home visits, reported adherence to SQ-LNS and tablets was collected through caregiver interview and disappearance rate was calculated based on unused packages. In a randomly selected subgroup (n=192), 12-h home observations were completed when children were 11 and 16 mo of age, to assess supplement consumption. Results: Average daily reported SQ-LNS and tablet adherence was 97%±6%. SQ-LNS and tablet disappearance rate also showed high weekly adherence (98%±5%). By contrast, home observation found that only 68% and 58% of children at 11 and 16-mo, respectively, received SQLNS during the observation periods (Rho=0.06, P=0.294 reported vs. observed), and fewer (36 and 28%) received a tablet at 11 and 16-mo (Rho=0.11, P=0.05). Fever, diarrhea, malaria, vomiting and loss of appetite reduced significantly reported consumption of SQ-LNS and, to a lesser extent, tablet (P<0.0001). Conclusions: Discrepancies among observed and reported results suggest possible overreporting of adherence to products and/or that consumption occurs outside the 12h home observation period. Child morbidity may change child acceptance or caregiver perceptions regarding the suitability of supplementation. Better methods are needed to assess adherence in community supplementation trials.

Impact of Small-quantity Lipid-based Nutrient Supplements on Infant and Young Child Feeding Practices.

Objectives: Lipid-based nutrient supplements (LNS) are energy-dense and could change infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices by changing caregiver perceptions of needs and/or child appetite and demand for breast milk and local complementary foods. We hypothesized that LNS (10-40g/day) would not have significant impacts on IYCF practices. Methods: Infants in three randomized controlled trials were assigned to receive either LNS from 9- 18 mo (Burkina Faso) or 6-18 mo (Ghana and Malawi) or a delayed intervention (DI). All caregivers were given brief didactic messages promoting continued breastfeeding and diverse diets at first distribution of LNS; messages were repeated periodically in Ghana and Malawi (all groups) and not repeated systematically in Burkina Faso. IYCF practices were assessed at 18 mo by caregiver recall of the preceding day and week. Results: The reported prevalence of continued breastfeeding did not vary by intervention group in any site, and was 97%, 74%, and 89% in Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Malawi. Reported frequency of breastfeeding yesterday also did not vary. The proportion of infants meeting the WHO recommendation for minimum dietary diversity (4+ food groups) did not differ by intervention group and was 37%, 75%, and 68% in Burkina Faso, Ghana and Malawi. In Burkina Faso, infants in the LNS group were more likely to meet the WHO recommendation for number of meals/snacks yesterday (79%, vs. 66% in DI group). Conclusions: Provision of LNS did not change most IYCF practices but increased frequency of feeding in one site.

Prevalence of and Risk Factors for Zinc Deficiency among Young Children in Rural Burkina Faso.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence and risk factors of zinc deficiency among young children in rural south-western Burkina Faso. Methods: We collected socio-economic, demographic, feeding practice and morbidity information from a sample of 473 children 6-18 mo of age residing in southern Orodara health district; and measured plasma zinc concentration (PZC) by ICP-AES and C-reactive protein and alpha-1 acid glycoprotein by ELISA to adjust PZC for inflammation. Zinc deficiency was defined as PZC ˂ 65μg/L. Associations between selected risk factors and low PZC were screened in bivariate analyses and assessed by generalized multivariable logistic regression. Results: Mean adjusted PZC was 68.4±13.1 ug/L, and the prevalence of zinc deficiency was 43.5% [95%CI: 38.4-48.7]. The odds of zinc deficiency was significantly higher in households with no livestock ownership as compared to the two highest quintiles of livestock ownership (OR= 2.4- 2.5, p<0.05) and when more households shared the family compound (OR= 1.8, p<0.026 for 3-4 households as compared to 1 household per compound). Religion was also associated with zinc deficiency, but recent child morbidity history and feeding practices were not. Conclusions: There is a high prevalence of zinc deficiency among young children in rural southwestern Burkina Faso, especially among children living in large family compounds. Homestead livestock rearing and possibly some religious/cultural habits may reduce the risk of zinc deficiency.

Malaria Infection Affects the Interpretation of Biomarkers of Iron and Vitamin A Status, Even After Adjusting for Systemic Inflammation, but Does Not Affect Plasma Zinc Concentrations.

Objectives: To assess how asymptomatic malaria infection affects the interpretation of biomarkers of iron, vitamin A and zinc status after adjustment for elevated acute phase proteins (APP). Methods: Plasma ferritin (pF), transferrin receptor (sTfR), retinol binding protein (RBP) and zinc (pZn) concentrations were measured among 451 asymptomatic children aged 6-23 months in Burkina Faso, and adjusted for elevated APP (C-reactive protein ≥5 mg/L and/or alpha-1-acidglycoprotein ≥1g/L) based on a four-group categorical model, as per Thurnham. Histidine-rich protein II (HRP2) concentrations >0.75 ng/mL were considered indicative of current or recent malaria parasitemia. Results: 57.4% of children had at least one elevated APP, and 48.5% had elevated HRP2. After adjusting for APP, children with elevated HRP2 had higher pF (23.5+1.5 vs. 11.1+0.8 μg/L, P<0.001) and lower RBP (0.79+0.01 vs. 0.92+0.01 μmol/L, P<0.001) vs. those without. Controlling for APP, there were no differences in pZn among those with and without elevated HRP2 (62.9+0.8 vs. 62.9+0.8 μg/dL, P=0.98). sTfR did not differ by APP status when controlling for HRP2, but was increased in children with elevated HRP2 vs. those without (17.6+0.5 vs. 12.3+0.4mg/L, P<0.0001). After adjusting for HRP2, along with APP, the estimated prevalence of iron deficiency (pF<12 μg/L) increased from 38.7% to 50.6% and vitamin A deficiency (RBP<0.84μmol/L) decreased from 33.4% to 27.7%. Conclusions: Current or recent malaria parasitemia affects indicators of micronutrient status, even after adjusting for APP. Adjusting indicators of iron and vitamin A status based only on APP may inaccurately estimate the prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies in settings with a high prevalence of malaria and inflammation.

Small-quantity Lipid-based Nutrient Supplements, Together with Malaria and Diarrhea Treatment, Improve Growth and Development in Young Burkinabe Children.

Objectives: Small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplement (SQ-LNS) is a promising home fortification product to supplement young children's diets, but the optimal zinc level to include is uncertain. We assessed growth and development in young Burkinabe children who received SQLNS without or with varied amounts of zinc. Methods: In a partially masked, placebo-controlled, randomized trial, 34 communities were assigned to immediate (II) or non-intervention (NI). 2469 eligible II children were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 groups to receive 20 g LNS/d containing 0, 5 or 10 mg of zinc (and placebo tablet) or LNS without zinc and 5 mg zinc tablet from 9-18 mo of age, along with treatment of malaria and diarrhea. Children in NI (n=797) received neither SQ-LNS, tablets nor morbidity treatment. At 9 and 18 mo, length, weight, and mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) were measured in all children. In a randomly selected subgroup, motor, language, and personal-social development was assessed at 18 mo (n=747 II; n=376 DI). Results: Reported adherence was 97±5% for SQ-LNS and tablets. Length, weight, MUAC and developmental scores were significantly greater at 18 mo in children who received SQ-LNS and morbidity treatment (p<0.001) compared to NI, but did not differ by II group. Stunting prevalence at 18 mo was 39% in children in NI and significantly reduced to 24-33% in children in the II groups (p<0.0001). Conclusions: Providing daily 20 g LNS with or without zinc along with malaria and diarrhea treatment significantly improved growth and motor, language, and personal-social development in young children.

Iodine Status of Young Burkinabe Children Receiving Small-quantity Lipid-based Nutrient Supplements and Iodized Salt.

Objectives: To assess the impact of supplementing local complementary foods with LNS on iodine status in young Burkinabe children exposed to iodized salt. Methods: In a partially masked, placebo-controlled, randomized trial, 34 communities were assigned to immediate (II) or non-intervention (NI). II children were randomly assigned to receive 20 g LNS/d containing 90 μg iodine with 0 or 10 mg zinc, and NI children received no LNS. Urinary iodine (UI) was assessed in spot samples and thyroxin (T4) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) concentrations in dried blood spots at 9 and 18 mo among a subset of 123 II children and 56 DI children. Salt samples (n=106) were collected at homes of randomly selected participants for assessment of iodine content by titration. Results: Mean iodine content of salt samples was 37±15 ppm (range 5-86 ppm). 37% had an iodine content <30ppm. At baseline and 18 mo, UI, T4 and TSH did not differ among groups. At 18 mo, median (IQR) UI was 334.8 (193.9-555.7) μg/L, T4 114 (99-138) nmol/L and TSH 0.76 (0.49- 1.09) mU/L in all groups combined. While no child had elevated TSH at 18 mo, more children in NI (8.9%) had low T4 (<65 nmol/L) than in II (1.6%) (p=0.0325). Conclusions: Although the majority of household salt samples contained iodine above the target of 30 ppm, provision of iodine in LNS significantly reduced the percentage of children with abnormally low T4 concentrations at 18 mo.

Cost-Effectiveness of Zinc Supplementation for the Prevention or Treatment of Diarrhea among Young Children in Rural Burkina Faso.

Objectives: Zinc supplements may decrease incidence of diarrhea among young children at risk of zinc deficiency. We estimated the cost-effectiveness of three approaches for delivery of preventive and therapeutic zinc supplements in rural Burkina Faso. Methods: Cost estimates were derived from data collected during a community-based randomized zinc trial, information on ongoing child-health days to distribute public health services, and an indepth study of the current health care system. Diarrhea incidence reduction is based on intent-totreat analysis of zinc trial data. Activity-based costing using an ingredients approach accounts for the costs of mutually exclusive inputs related to defined program activities for each approach. Cost-effectiveness is analyzed and compared across an intermittent preventive zinc (IPZ) approach (quarterly delivery of 10-days of 10 mg/d supplements to childrens’ homes), and a therapeutic approach (10-days of 20 mg/d supplements delivered during an ill-child consultation at a local clinic (TZ-CSPS) or via community-based health worker (TZ-CHW)). We assume 81.6% of children are reached with IPZ and .06% and 52% of diarrhea cases treated with TZ-CSPS and TZCHW, respectively. Results: Estimated annual program cost per additional child reached is $3.52 (IPZ), $3.49 (TZCSPS) and $17.59 (TZ-CHW). Cost per death averted in the first program-year is estimated to be $3164 (IPZ), $7363 (TZ-CSPS), and $14068 (TZ-CHW), assuming a diarrhea case fatality rate of 0.3% and 2.64 episodes of diarrhea/child/year. Estimated cases of diarrhea averted per year are 11.5% (IPZ), 0.9% (TZ-CSPS), and 8.2%(TZ-CHW). Conclusions: IPZ is the most cost-effective approach for a zinc program among our study population.

Daily Zinc Supplementation, But Not Intermittent or Therapeutic Zinc Supplementation, Increases Plasma Zinc Concentration and Does Not Affect Iron and Vitamin A Status in Young Children.

Objectives: To assess the effect of three zinc supplementation strategies, provided with diarrhea and malaria treatment, on zinc, iron and vitamin A status. Methods: During a community-based, cluster-randomized, zinc supplementation trial, we collected venous blood at baseline and after 48 weeks in a random subsample of 451 rural Burkinabe children 6-18 mo old assigned to 4 groups: 7 mg zinc/d, ORS+placebo for diarrhea (DPZ); 10 mg zinc/d for 10d/16wks followed by daily placebo, ORS+placebo for diarrhea (IPZ); daily placebo, ORS+20mg zinc/d for 10d for diarrhea (TDZ); no intervention (NI). Supplemented children were treated for fever and malaria. Blood hemoglobin concentration (Hb) was measured by HemoCue®. Plasma zinc concentration (pZn), measured by ICP-AES, and plasma ferritin (pF), transferrin receptor (TfR) and retinol-binding protein (RBP) concentrations, measured by ELISA, were adjusted for inflammation. Results: High baseline rates of anemia (88.5% had Hb<11 g/dL), iron deficiency (50.5% had pF<12 ug/L; 89.9% had TfR>8.3 mg/L ), vitamin A deficiency (48.9% had RBP<0.83 umol/L) and zinc deficiency (43.5% had pZn<65 ug/dL) were not different by group. Over 48 weeks, pZn increased significantly more in DPZ (+5.8±1.9%) than in TDZ (-0.7±1.8%) and NI (-1.7±1.3%) but not than in IPZ (+2.3±1.7%). 48-week changes in Hb, pF, TfR and RBP did not differ by group. Conclusions: Daily preventive, but not intermittent preventive or therapeutic zinc supplementation, increased pZn over 48 weeks. Zinc supplementation with malaria and diarrhea treatment did not affect iron and vitamin A status.

Zinc added in Different Amounts to Small-quantity Lipid-based Nutrient Supplements (SQ-LNS) or provided as a Tablet did not affect Diarrhea or Malaria Morbidity in young, Rural Burkinabe Children.

Objectives: Meta-analyses find that supplemental zinc reduces the incidence of diarrhea and acute lower respiratory tract infections, but its effect on malaria is inconsistent. We assessed the effects of different amounts of zinc in SQ-LNS compared with zinc in a dispersible tablet on the incidence of diarrhea and malaria in young children in a community-based, double-blind, placebo controlled, randomized trial in rural, southwestern Burkina Faso. Methods: 2469 children 9 months of age, were assigned to receive one of four interventions: LNS without zinc and placebo tablet (LNS-Zn0; negative control), LNS with 5 mg zinc and placebo tablet (LNS-Zn5), LNS with 10 mg zinc and placebo tablet (LNS-Zn 10) and LNS without zinc and 5 mg zinc tablet (LNS-TabZn5; positive control). Children received 20 g of LNS and one placebo or zinc tablet daily for 9 months. Weekly morbidity surveillance was conducted at children's homes; malaria treatment was provided for confirmed malaria, and ORS provided for reported diarrhea. Results: Prevalence of malaria at baseline (59.4% overall) did not differ among groups. During the 9-month follow-up, the incidence of diarrhea was 1.15 (±1.18 SD) and the incidence of malaria was 0.55 (±0.54 SD) episodes per 100 child-days, and did not differ by treatment group (p=0.673 and p=0.535, respectively). Incidence of severe diarrhea and severe malaria also did not differ by treatment group. Conclusions: The inclusion of 5 or 10 mg zinc in SQ-LNS did not affect diarrhea or malaria morbidity compared to both positive and negative control groups in this population.

Healthcare-Associated Infection in Burkina Faso: an Assessment in a District Hospital

In developing countries; few data are available on healthcare-associated infections. In Burkina Faso; there has been a failure to take into account risk management and patient safety in the quality assurance program. The main objective of our study was to carry out an assessment of healthcare-associated infection in a first level hospital. We conducted a crosssectional study in June 2011 in the care units of Ziniare District Hospital (Ziniare; Burkina Faso). The hospital has been divided in three components: i) hospital population (care providers; in-patients and patients' guardians); ii) healthcare and services organization; iii) hospital environment. We included: care providers of the clinical services; hospital inpatients and patients' guardians; hospitalization infrastructure and nursing units; and all the documents relating to standards and protocols. Data collection has been done by direct observation; interviews and biological samples taken at different settings. In hospital population; care providers and patients' guardians represented a high source of infection: adherence to hygiene practice on the part of care providers was low (12/19); and no patients' guardian experienced good conditions of staying in the hospital. In healthcare and services organization; healthcare waste management represented a high-risk source of infection. In hospital environment; hygiene level of the infrastructure in the hospital rooms was low (6.67). Prevalence of isolated bacteria was 71.8. Urinary-tract catheters infections were the most significant in our sample; followed by surgical-site infections. In total; 56.26(9/19) of germs were -Lactamase producers (ESBL). They were represented by Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Our analysis identified clearly healthcare-associated infection as a problem in Ziniare district hospital. Hence; a national program of quality assurance in the hospitals should now integrate the risk infectious management of healthcare-associated infections