Coronavirus: Burkina Faso Red Cross focuses on prevention

Text by: Caroline Paré Follow | Ophélie Lahccen

In Burkina Faso, since the end of March, the cities where Covid-19 patients have been reported have been placed in quarantine. Curfew measures are also in effect. Interview with the health coordinator of the Burkina Faso Red Cross.

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Doctor Nadège Ouedraogo is a general practitioner, health coordinator with the Red Cross of Burkina Faso.

Tuesday April 14, she was invited in the program Priorité santé , on RFI.

► Read also: The Burkinabè Smarty raps for the fight against the coronavirus

RFI: What does prevention involve with your teams?

Dr Nadège Ouedraogo: We post volunteers in gathering places to show people the importance of barrier measures, how to protect themselves from the coronavirus. We have volunteers who invite people to wash their hands by showing them the different stages, how long they must last…

Is water available almost everywhere? What to do when you have no water?

In the center of the capital, Ouagadougou, water is not a concern. But in the outlying districts, it gets a little complicated. This is where people use hydroalcoholic gel a lot more for hand disinfection.

Very important message for you: the fight against Covid-19 goes through each and every one of us and we must not only rely on caregivers…

Very often, in our context, people tend to see infectious diseases as only the concern of health workers, doctors, caregivers. We are therefore raising awareness on this point, so that everyone understands that they can do something to protect themselves and others from this disease. We are spreading these awareness messages, in all languages, to ensure that all communities can join the fight.

As a doctor, do you have access to masks to protect yourself?

Yes, the State is doing everything it can and is making masks and what is necessary to protect themselves available to healthcare teams. But it is not yet enough. Resource mobilization continues to ensure that stocks are available and sufficient for everyone, but we are still in health regions where there is a shortage.

The number of resuscitation beds is very limited in Burkina Faso and that is why we must at all costs avoid reaching this critical threshold…

The idea for us is really to maximize prevention and thus have as few people as possible affected and who find themselves in need of care. It's no secret that in terms of beds available in intensive care, we are quite limited. The State is doing its utmost and calling on the help of technical and financial partners to be able to bridge this gap.

Our selection on SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus

• Listen to Coronavirus Info , daily chronicle on the pandemic

• Explanation: The origins of the Covid-19

• Analyzes:
→ What strategies in the face of the Covid-19 epidemic ?
→ What impact on conflict zones?

• Practical questions:
→ What we know about the mode of contagion of the coronavirus
→ What is the lifespan of the virus ?
→ How do you treat Covid-19 patients ?
→ What results for the ongoing clinical trials?
→ How the Institut Pasteur hopes to find a vaccine
→ How to make a mask and use it well

• Doctors' answers to your questions about the Covid-19

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• Coronavirus
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