Tag Archives: Syphilis

AMA, Health

Science serving lives: Interview with Dr. Alice Guingané, public health researcher (Burkina Faso)

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Geneva, Switzerland, 20 April 2026- /African Media Agency (AMA)/- On World Health Day 2026, under the theme “Together for health. Stand with science,” the World Health Organization (WHO) highlights individuals using science to improve lives in the African Region.

Dr Alice Guingané, a hepato-gastroenterologist and lecturer-researcher at Joseph Ki-Zerbo University in Ouagadougou, is actively engaged in clinical research and disease surveillance. She emphasises that supporting science saves lives.

What role does science play in your daily work? 
Science is at the heart of my daily work. As a physician and a lecturer-researcher at a university hospital, my role is threefold: to provide care, to teach, and to conduct research. Science guides how I think, make decisions, and act.

In clinical care, it enables me to analyse symptoms rigorously, distinguish facts from beliefs, and make evidence-based decisions. In teaching, I strive to make scientific knowledge accessible, including through awareness sessions with patients and communities.
In research, I use epidemiological data to identify public health priorities, select effective interventions, and assess their impact in the field. Science also guides my values: respect for human dignity, responsibility, and commitment to the community.

What motivated you to engage in health research? 
Above all, the desire to find solutions to patients’ problems. I will never forget a nine-year-old boy who died of liver cancer linked to hepatitis B. Like many others, he arrived at the hospital too late, even though a vaccine exists from birth.

This reality pushed me to understand why pregnant women did not access care in time, and how to improve prevention of mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B. I oriented all my research around this issue, seeking solutions adapted to our context, training students, and conducting field projects.

Why is it essential that science be supported by society and local authorities? 
Society is at the heart of health research: without community participation, even free services may remain underused due to sociocultural barriers.

Local authorities also play a key role in guiding, regulating and financing research. Producing one’s own data means being able to define one’s health priorities. Science enables evidence-based decision-making, reduces mortality, improves quality of life, and drives innovation and national sovereignty.

How does your work contribute to strengthening disease surveillance in Burkina Faso? 
I am currently the principal investigator in Burkina Faso for a project on the triple elimination of HIV, syphilis, and mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B. This integrated approach, supported by WHO, allows resources to be pooled and data to be generated that are directly usable by decision-makers.

I also participate in the HEPSANET network, which aims to strengthen epidemiological data on viral hepatitis in Africa. These initiatives contribute to better surveillance of diseases and their complications, particularly liver cancer.

What is needed to strengthen public trust in science? 
Science must be accessible. It is essential to communicate research findings in clear and understandable ways and to create effective channels to reach communities, health professionals, and decision-makers.

Another major challenge is tackling misinformation. In our context, some traditional beliefs may conflict with modern medicine. Encouraging dialogue and the guided integration of different care practices is essential to strengthening trust.

As a woman scientist, what message do you have for young girls? 
I would encourage them not to hesitate to pursue research it is a deeply rewarding endeavour. It requires organization and balance with family life, but it is not a sprint—it is a long-term commitment. Believe in your abilities, keep your passion alive, and you will accomplish extraordinary things.

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of World Health Organisation.

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Health, Lifestyle, Opinion

How Syphilis can live in ones’ body for 20 years without knowing

Maravi Post Author

By News Hub Creator

Syphilis sores provide an easy entry point for HIV. HIV impairs the immune system in ways that make it easier for syphilis to take hold. Recent research suggests that there may be even more interactions between syphilis and HIV than were previously known. Some are directly related to infections.

Without treatment, syphilis can severely damage the heart, brain or other organs, and can be life-threatening. Syphilis can also be passed from mothers to unborn children. Syphilis can stay hidden in your body up to 20 years if not treated.

Some features of syphilis during this stage, such as fever, sore throat, malaise, and lymphadenopathy, can easily be mistaken for clinical manifestations of primary HIV infection, HIV immune reconstitution, adverse cutaneous reactions to drugs, viral exanthem, streptococcal pharyngitis, and mononucleosis-like illness. 

This STD develops in four stages. Symptoms in the first two can be so mild that you might not notice them. One stage latent syphilis doesn’t have symptoms.

Primary: Painless sores appear at the site of infection

Secondary: Rough red or reddish brown rash on palms of hands and soles of feet. These symptoms will go away, even if you don’t get treated. But if you’re not treated, your infection will get worse.

Latent: During this phase, the syphilis bacteria are still alive in your body, but you have no signs or symptoms of the infection. You’re not contagious during this stage, but syphilis may still affect your heart, brain, nerves, bones, and other parts of your body. This phase can last for years.

If untreated, an infected person will progress to the latent hidden stage of syphilis. After the secondary-stage rash goes away, the person will not have any symptoms for a time latent period. The latent period may be as brief as 1 year or range from 5 to 20 years.

Can syphilis be cured? Yes, syphilis can be cured with the right antibiotics from your health care provider. However, treatment might not undo any damage that the infection has already done