On March 9th 2020, Burkina Faso recorded its first cases of COVID-19. The country is now one of the most affected in Africa with 576 confirmed cases and 36 deaths as of April 18th 2020. 9 of the 13 health regions in the country are affected by the epidemic.

As part of the fight against COVID-19, several measures have been put in place by the authorities: closure of borders, closure of schools, establishment of a curfew, quarantine of cities with positive cases, or issuing hygiene measures.

These measures are accompanied by public awareness messages for social and behavioural change, and mainly focus on preventive actions, description of the symptoms of the disease and information for vulnerable populations..

Pregnant women and COVID-19

However, many questions remain in the area of maternal and newborn health. Pregnant women fear being infected with COVID-19 during their visit to the health centre for their antenatal consultation, which has a direct impact on their use of care.

These are some of the most common questions asked by pregnant women:

• How can pregnant women protect themselves from COVID-19?
• Should pregnant women suspected of COVID-19 or positive for COVID-19 give birth by caesarean?
• Can a woman with COVID-19 breastfeed her child?
• Should the baby be separated from its mother when she is suspected or confirmed as having COVID-19?
• What measures are in place in health centres to protect pregnant women who come for consultations?
• Is it possible to reduce the risk of contracting the disease through a specific diet?

Protecting the population, mothers-to-be and their babies: a priority

To answer these questions and avoid the psychosis linked to COVID-19, and allow patients access to safe care, Enfants du Monde continues to collaborate with the Ministry of Health in Burkina Faso and works with its local partners.

This is why we are currently implementing the following actions in the 5 intervention districts of our programme:

• Dissemination of prevention messages on COVID-19 (in French and in the local language);
• Creation and distribution in 115 health centres of a poster on preventive measures against COVID-19 intended specifically for pregnant women (available in French, Mossi and Fulfude);
• Creation and distribution in 115 health centres of a video and a guide for healthcare providers;
• Integration of prevention messages and COVID-19 information on the distance learning platform used for healthcare providers;
• Provision of protective equipment (masks, gloves, hydro alcoholic gel and hand washing devices) for 115 health centres.

Support our actions

More than ever, we count on your solidarity to help mothers-to-be and their babies in our intervention countries affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

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