Cross Sectional Survey on the Burden, Impacts and Causes of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Outbreak in South West Region in Burkina Faso

This study investigates hepatitis C virus (HCV) outbreak in South West general population in Burkina Faso with three specific objectives: estimate HCV prevalence in South West Region general population in 2019; identify factors associated with recent HCV infection (in subjects younger than 20 years); and evaluate the pilot treatment strategy implemented by the national program for diagnosed cases during investigation.

A previous ANRS (French National Agency for Research on AIDS and Viral Hepatitis)12270 study supported by Burkina Faso's Minister of Health, used blood samples from the 2010 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) to document the country's national and regional prevalences and highlighted a localized HCV epidemic in the Southwest Region with a prevalence of 13.2% which was 4 times higher than the national prevalence. This high prevalence of HCV was found in both adults and youth. Given the particular epidemiological situation of the South-West region and the limits of the 2010 DHS, we aimed to carry out a thorough investigation of this HCV epidemic in the South-West region of Burkina Faso in order to control it. A mixed methodology (quantitative and qualitative) will be used including: (i) a cross-sectional survey to estimate the prevalence of HCV infection in the South-West population in Burkina Faso; (ii) a case-control study among individuals less than 20 years of age to identify factors associated with current HCV transmission; (iii) a qualitative survey to provide additional information explaining the high prevalence of HCV infection (historical events, for example); (iv) a cohort study to evaluate a pilot treatment management strategy to be implemented by the national program in the South West Region