Bobo-Dioulasso, Infectious disease doctor Professor Jacques Zoungrana, serving at the Souro Sanon University Hospital Center (CHU-SS) in Bobo-Dioulasso, deplored late consultations and self-medication among patients suffering from dengue fever .
“For two to three weeks, there has been total free rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs), as well as products. Since then until now, we have not experienced any break and the patients are fully taken care of,” indicated the infectious disease doctor and associate professor at the CHU-SS of Bobo-Dioulasso, Jacques Zoungrana.
For him, there is no problem in the treatment of patients in the dengue epidemic, except that there are certain products in the kits which are not used for the disease.
Professor Zoungrana spoke on Friday at the CHU-SS of Bobo-Dioulasso, the large hospital located in the western part of the country, during a field trip initiated by the Ministry of Health to observe the care dengue patients.
The Hauts-Bassins region is hard hit by the dengue epidemic with 2,845 suspected cases, including 1,236 probable and 21 deaths from week 1 to week 45 of 2023.
According to him, his health structure has implemented a strategy which allows the prescription, renewal and distribution of products in the hospital.
The infectious disease doctor, Jacques Zoungrana, notes the progression of the disease in a jagged pattern, because according to him, patients present to health workers bedridden due to delays in consultation and the use of contraindicated medications. for dengue.
“They come back to us with complications, especially with hemorrhages and other pathologies that they had, such as hypertension, diabetes and others,” he added.
The supervisor of the technical unit (SUT) of the Do medical center with surgical branch, Saïdou Fotoré, says he performs around a hundred dengue RDTs per day. Mr. Fotoré, also a biomedical technologist, noted a certain crowd, because since 3 am and 4 am, patients have already been waiting for the samples to begin.
“In terms of resupply of reagents, there are no concerns at this level. The tests are available and free,” he maintained. According to him, the beneficiary of a RDT test must have a consultation form duly completed by a health worker.
According to Saïdou Fotoré, the positivity rate is around 50% across all tests carried out in the Do health district.
As for the doctor responsible for clinical activities and quality of care in the Health District (DS) of Houndé, Dr Jaurès Ramdé, many actions are being carried out as part of the response to the dengue epidemic. Dr Ramdé added that this involves, among other things, training and communications around the disease to improve the management of dengue fever.
He reported that more than 70% of hospitalized patients are dengue cases in the health center. From the CMA of Houndé, to the CHU-SS of Bobo-Dioulasso via the CMA of Do, the men and women of the media were able to touch on the care of patients as part of the fight against the disease.
The patient Aboubacar Dermé, 25 years old, at the CHU-SS, said he found himself in the hospital with dengue fever.
According to Mr. Dermé, he first went to the official camp for his treatment and subsequently noticed that his illness was dengue fever. According to him, he reached the health structure by ambulance and after consulting health workers.
For patient Alice Sanou at the CMA in Do, the RDTs revealed that she has dengue fever. She also congratulated the nursing staff who remain available to patients to fight the disease.
Source: Burkina Information Agency