Burkina Faso national action plan on antimicrobial resistance: review of progress in the human health sector

Overview: Researchers from CDDEP and the World Health Organization (WHO) synthesized a policy brief analyzing Burkina Faso’s multisectoral national strategic plan to fight antimicrobial resistance. The policy brief provides a review of the current progress on implementing the Burkina Faso national action plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), identifies critical gaps, and highlights findings to accelerate further progress in the human health sector.

Key Findings: Burkina Faso has taken major strides in developing a multisectoral One Health-based approach to reduce the AMR burden, including developing national surveillance guides in healthcare settings and collecting AMR data in sentinel surveillance sites. However, the government’s appropriation of the National Action Plan (NAP) on AMR remains weak, representing a significant barrier to its implementation. 

There is a need for:

1. Official endorsement of the Burkina Faso multisectoral national strategic plan to combat antimicrobial resistance that includes a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework and a costed operational plan.

2. A clear and functioning governance structure for NAP activities with legal sanctioning, dedicated financial and human resources for implementation, standard operating procedures, mechanisms for accountability, reporting, and coordination with sustainable engagement based on timely data sharing and transparency.

3. Evidence-based AMR advocacy and education tailored to priority audiences (community, healthcare professionals, and policymakers) to promote behavior change.

4. Strengthened AMR surveillance and laboratory capacity to enhance data collection, analysis, and reporting; generate evidence to guide decision-making; and facilitate consistent data sharing within and between sectors and the WHO Global antimicrobial resistance surveillance system (GLASS).

5. The national reference laboratory (NRL) to be part of an external quality assurance program.

6. Strengthened infection prevention and control (IPC) and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services, including an adequate supply of essential disinfectant and hygiene products and implementing awareness and knowledge activities targeting healthcare workers.

7. Strengthening of the regulatory framework for and enforcement of prescription-only sales of antimicrobials and the supply chain of quality assured and affordable antimicrobials, particularly Access antibiotics, and point-of-care diagnostics.

8. Treatment guidelines based on local data that are updated regularly to support appropriate prescribing and antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) and monitoring of their uptake and use.

9. The establishment of multidisciplinary AMS committees in hospitals.

10. The creation of an AMR scientific committee to coordinate AMR research, data management, and analysis within and across the different sectors

Why It Matters: Antimicrobial use in human, animal, and environmental sectors warrants using a One Health approach to address emerging AMR, which threatens the successful prevention and treatment of a continuously expanding range of infections. Therefore, Burkina Faso’s multisectoral NAP on AMR represents a critical milestone in the country’s fight to control the silent pandemic of AMR. The strategic plan was developed by the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the Ministries of Animal and Fisheries Resources; Agriculture and Water Facilities; and Environment, Green Economy and Climate Change. 

The policy brief titled, “Burkina Faso national action plan on antimicrobial resistance: review of progress in the human health sector” was published in February 2022 by the World Health Organization and is available online here.

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