Burkina Faso builds wildlife surveillance capacity to combat future pandemics
In Burkina Faso, the fight against pandemic threats starts with stronger surveillance and skilled frontline workers. With support from the Pandemic Fund, the country is investing in its people and systems to better detect and respond to health threats. As zoonotic diseases continue to account for most human infections and emerging outbreaks, building the implementation of an integrated surveillance system that gives early warning signals from wildlife is becoming a vital part of safeguarding communities and strengthening national health security resilience.
A key achievement of the FAO’s Pandemic Fund project in Burkina Faso was the two-session training of 46 forestry environmental agents in safe wildlife capture and biological sample collection. This initiative is a decisive step in spotting potential health threats where they first emerge, at the human–animal–environment interface.
This hands-on training, aligned with International Health Regulation’s Joint External Evaluation (JEE) recommendations, not only built technical expertise but also strengthened the One Health approach, recognizing that human, animal and environmental health are closely connected.
Beyond wildlife surveillance, the project also strengthens integrated disease surveillance, laboratory diagnostics, food safety controls and antimicrobial resistance monitoring, building the foundations of a stronger, faster response to health emergencies.
At the opening of the first session of Burkina Faso’s One Health Technical Steering Committee, the Minister of Health, Robert Lucien Jean Claude Kargougou, emphasized the path forward: “Only joint and synergistic actions will enable us to effectively ensure prevention, early detection and response to public health emergencies.”
Through its integrated activities, the project contributes to FAO’s priorities in Burkina Faso, supporting food security, rural livelihoods and health governance, while enhancing the country's resilience to future pandemics.
By building the capacity to detect and respond to zoonotic diseases at their source, particularly within wildlife populations, the project is helping Burkina Faso to develop a stronger, more resilient health system capable of preventing future pandemics before they emerge.