Burkina Faso: An Exemplar in Malaria Subnational Tailoring

Burkina Faso is among the countries with the highest malaria burden worldwide. In 2023, the country recorded approximately 10 million malaria cases and an estimated 16,000 deaths among a total population of 23 million. Although much of Burkina Faso’s population is at risk of malaria, disease transmission varies seasonally, entomologically, and geographically. Since 2019, the country has embraced an approach known as subnational tailoring (SNT), which uses local data to customize malaria interventions geographically based on specific epidemiological, entomological, socioeconomic, and climate conditions.

In its early efforts to implement SNT, Burkina Faso has adopted promising practices including:

• Strong institutional leadership and ownership by the Permanent Secretariat for Malaria Elimination.

• Investment in data infrastructure and management such as the Burkina Faso Malaria Data Repository to streamline evidence synthesis and strengthen the foundation for data-driven decision making.

• Technical analysis and forecasting enabling policymakers to translate data into prioritized district-level interventions, forecast the impact of intervention packages, and use evidence in funding applications.

• Use of community health workers to improve data collection, service delivery, and continuity of care in districts across the country, especially in areas most affected by political and economic insecurity and health facility closures.

Burkina Faso’s sustained commitment to SNT has yielded measurable results, making it an instructive exemplar for other high-burden countries.