Dengue Epidemic and Debt Recovery Dominate Burkina Faso’s Newspaper Headlines

Burkina Faso – Burkina Faso’s daily newspapers have prominently featured two critical issues affecting the country: the ongoing dengue fever epidemic and the recovery of debts by the National Society for Land Development and Rural Equipment (SONATER).

According to Burkina Information Agency, Burkina Faso’s oldest private daily, the government has announced significant measures to recover debts related to the sale of agricultural equipment. This announcement was made during a press conference held by SONATER on November 15, 2023. The private daily Le Pays reported that SONATER is preparing to implement stringent actions against its debtors to recover outstanding debts. Sidwaya, another popular newspaper, revealed that the total amount of these debts exceeds 11 billion FCFA.

On a different note, the dengue epidemic has been a major topic of concern. L’express du Faso, a private daily published in Bobo-Dioulasso, highlighted the challenges in managing the dengue epidemic. Bernard Sanon, the Secretary General of the National Bureau (BN) of SYNTSHA, criticized the government’s response, noting a shortage of rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) for dengue fever due to lack of significant support measures. Le Pays further reported that according to the BN’s Secretary General, diagnosed individuals are often left without adequate care, leading to increased mortality rates. In light of these issues, SYNTSHA is calling for more robust anti-vector control measures and improvements in the diagnostic and therapeutic capacities of health facilities across Burkina Faso.