The Director General of Research and Innovation, Professor Antoine Béré, representing the Minister in charge of Research, officially launched the DengRIP project this Friday, October 11, 2024 in Ouagadougou. This initiative aims to improve preparedness for dengue epidemics. The ceremony was attended by teacher-researchers, researchers, traditionalists, doctoral students and political authorities.
All eyes are now on Joseph-Ki-Zerbo University, in particular the Laboratory of Fundamental and Applied Entomology, for the effective implementation of the DengRIP project which will provide innovative solutions to the fight against dengue. Indeed, the dengue epidemic continues to claim hundreds of victims among the population. The report from the Ministry of Health shows 27,512 suspected cases, 7,505 probable cases and unfortunately 51 deaths due to dengue, from January to August 2024. And the Central region alone recorded 5,620 suspected cases, 4 961 probable cases and 21 deaths linked to this disease.
Hope therefore rests on the DengRIP project, the official launch of which took place on October 11, 2024 in Ouagadougou, in the presence of the various stakeholders.
View of participants
Five activity packages to combat dengue fever
According to the national coordinator, Professor Athanase Badolo, and the partner representative, Professor David Weetman from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM), this four-year project (2024-2028) will be carried out in 18 localities around Ouagadougou, with five packages of major activities including the search for indicators to predict cases of dengue, the evaluation of the community fight against dengue, the search for new control tools and the strengthening of research capacities.
The Great Wiregin.
The DengRIP project was therefore welcomed with great satisfaction by the representative of the Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, Professor Antoine Béré, who chaired the ceremony. He recalled that during the recent epidemic in 2023 which claimed 709 victims, the Minister of Research set up a high-level ad hoc commission to reflect on the determinants of this devastating epidemic. The report produced by the commission is being analyzed by the High Council for Science. “You will therefore understand why the launch of this DengRIP project is in line with the government’s concerns,” noted the minister’s representative.
The representative of the Life and Earth Sciences Training and Research Unit (UFR-SVT) of Joseph-Ki-Zerbo University, Dr Ousséni Ouédraogo, expressed the recognition of his unit to the various partners. He also praised them for their involvement in such a project of national interest, which will ultimately make it possible to propose solutions for the definitive eradication of this epidemic.
Professor Athanase Badolo, principal investigator and national coordinator of the DengRIP project.
Involve communities
DengRIP is a research project that calls for the involvement of communities and grassroots populations, recalled Dr Léa Paré/Toé, researcher in this project, responsible for community engagement. This desire for inclusion was welcomed by the customary authorities present at the ceremony, who now call themselves ambassadors of the fight against dengue fever. “As ambassadors, we will be responsible for raising awareness in our communities, advising them to change their behavior, especially regarding the lack of hygiene around homes which is one of the causes of this disease,” Wayalgin suggested. Naaba Tenga.
At Dapoya Naaba Koanda, it is also the same commitment. “We will work to ensure that communities can be made aware of the behaviors to adopt in this fight against dengue. With the associations we have at the grassroots, we will focus on cleanliness and hygiene to drive dengue fever out of our communities,” promised the traditional leader.
Family photo.
It should be noted that DengRIP is a collaborative project between the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, the Joseph-Ki-Zerbo University, the Health Sciences Research Institute (IRSS) and various other institutions in Europe and the United States. United, with funding from the UK National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The implementation of DengRIP at the national level will involve several actors, in addition to the university and the IRSS, in particular the Ministry of Health and its branches, local communities and special delegations from different localities.
Yvette Zongo
Lefaso.net
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