COVID-19 SITUATION REPORT MARCH - APRIL 2021

COVID-19 PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE

IOM Burundi continues to work with the Government of Burundi and partners to strengthen public health surveillance at COVID-19 CASES IN BURUNDI (MARCH 2020 - APRIL 2021) border areas and monitor cross-border 4,018 3,646 6 population ows. COVID-19 CASES RECOVERIES DEATHS *Published by the Ministry of Public Health and the Fight against AIDS (MoH) - 30 April 2021

DISEASE SURVEILLANCE POINTS OF ENTRY (POEs) Community Event-Based Surveillance (CEBS) is conducted by A needs’ inventory community health workers (CHWs), with operational and training was conducted at support from IOM. CHWs are tasked with sensitizing border the Kabezi PoE and communities on disease prevention. They also ensure epicemic the Gatumba hospital surveillance by notifying suspect communities which are then (bordering the DRC) investigated and addressed by the provincial health districts. in province In March and April 2021, CHWs sensitized 32,579 people and to relocate the health raised 221 alerts of COVID-19 cases in Makamba, Muyinga and screening sites and to Ruyigi provinces. identify the equipment IOM trained 50 CHWs on CEBS in , and provided needed for epidemic prevention and response following oods that them with supporting equipment: bicycle, raincoat, backpack, boots, damaged the 2 facilities. t-shirt, hat, umbrella, jerrican, bucket, soap, and hand sanitizer, as well A needs’ assessment conducted at the Mugina PoE (bordering as information education and communication material. the United Republic of Tanzania) in prior to IOM paid communication fees to 250 CHWs to help them building waiting areas for migrants. The waiting areas aim to separate implement essential CEBS while giving relevant information to the entry and exit corridors for passengers into two separate routes: communities. one directed to the isolation room for suspect cases requiring PARTNERSHIPS AND COORDINATION further treatment or ambulance evacuation, and one directing to the IOM trained 140 representative community leaders on waiting area for immigration procedures. disease prevention to strengthen the resilience of the Burundian population in response to health emergencies. This three-day DISPLACEMENT TRACKING MATRIX (DTM) workshop was organized in April 2021 for CHWs, religious leaders, The DTM team visited 11 uno cial border-crossing points local associations representatives, local administrators, and health to collect data on population ows where COVID-19 surveillance is care providers from cross-border localities’ health centers in conducted in Cankuzo, Muyinga, Ruyigi and Rutana provinces Rumonge and Bugarama health districts () and (bordering the United Republic of Tanzania). Busoni health district (). 5 border crossing points evaluated in Kirundo province at the In March, IOM country o ces and MoHs from Burundi and border with Rwanda to set up ow monitoring points (FMPs) at the the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) met to share border with the Republic of Rwanda. One FMP was selected. strategies and best practices for coordinating epidemic prevention and response between the two countries. CASE MANAGEMENT & PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT IOM participated in the Burundi COVID-19 Intra-Action 137 UN sta and their dependents (including 62 women, 65 Review (IAR) in Bugarama, , together with key men and 10 children) received COVID-19 health-related assistance partners engaged in the COVID-19 response, including the MoH, at IOM Burundi’s clinic (which is an extension of the country UN WHO, and other partners. The IAR aims to assess the country clinic). They also benetted from psychosocial support to help them response, to share lessons learnt and explore how to improve the manage stress related to COVID-19. ongoing response.

A meeting with the MoH was held to prepare an upcoming Contact information: training on the health information system within the CEBS Kally Mamadou BAH, Project Manager, Migration Health framework for 2,000 CHWs and community leaders from [email protected] Bujumbura, Kirundo, Muramvya and Rumonge provinces.

BURUNDI MARCH - APRIL 2021 COVID-19 SITUATION REPORT RESPONDING TO COVID-19 IN 2020 2020 IN NUMBERS* COVID-19 TESTS 85,431 CONDUCTED

TOTAL REPORTED 822 COVID-19 CASES

755 RECOVERIES 2 DEATHS *Published by the Ministry of Public Health and the Fight against AIDS (31 December 2020)

A nurse conducting health assessment to a benecary in Kigaramango displacement camp (Gatumba), ©T.Ntore/IOM 2020

IOM BURUNDI INTERVENTION It also meant reinforcing PoEs by rehabilitating a 12,828 few or providing relevant equipment and material SUPPLIES AND EQUIPMENT GIVEN Since the onset of the pandemic, IOM has to PoEs, health facilities, including isolation centers. TO POEs AND HEALTH FACILITIES worked ever-closer with the Government of Burundi and the humanitarian community to Alongside these activities were risk communication respond to the complex challenges triggered by and community engagement initiatives and 12,189 COVID-19, guided by both IOM and WHO’s coordination support to national structures LOCAL COMMUNITY MEMBERS involved in the COVID 19 response. Prevention SENSITIZED ON PSS AND CEBS Global Strategic Preparedness and Response messages were diused via sensitizations, radio, Plans on COVID-19. social media, and print materials, targeting 3,563 In 2020, IOM Burundi was designated lead cross-border communities in particular as well as IEC MATERIALS WITH COVID-19 agency for the PoEs and Cross-border the general population. PREVENTION MESSAGES PRODUCED Coordination pillar of the COVID-19 Strategic AND DEPLOYED IN 35 POEs IOM Burundi’s migration health team worked with Response Plan and the National Contingency government counterparts to draft a national Plan for COVID-19, as for Ebola Virus Disease COVID-19 contingency plan (based on the 250 (EVD) preparedness previously. IOM Burundi’s previous one for EVD). Additional cross-border CHWs TRAINED ON CEBS teams collaborated with government coordination meetings between Burundi and the counterparts and partners to monitor DRC (North and South Kivu regions) were cross-border population ows and strengthen organized to establish a coordination and strategy 270 public health surveillance at border areas. They sharing platform to combat diseases with epidemic HEALTH AND NON-HEALTH STAFF did this in part by regularly assessing the health potential. TRAINED IN EPIDEMIC PREPAREDNESS and protection needs at the borders to better AND RESPONSE Internally, IOM Burundi developed a business understand the situation and thus respond. A continuity plan to better protect the health of sta, core part of this response entailed training implementing partners, and beneciaries. IOM 27 health workers and border ocials on how to POEs EQUIPPED TO BOOST teams made sure that existing projects implement Infection Prevention and Control COVID-19 AND EVD mainstreamed COVID-19-related and protection SURVEILLANCE (IPC) measures and to screen, monitor, detect, measures. investigate and report suspect cases. CEBS has been particularly integral to IOM’s approach. Sta participated in several online COVID-19 7 related trainings via the Open WHO forum, Africa STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES DEVELOPED ON DISEASE COVID-19 CASES IN BURUNDI 2020 CDC and Coursera, among others. The IPC team SURVEILLANCE, NOTIFICATION, also conducted several refresher in-house trainings, AND MANAGEMENT 20000 250 including on the use of Personal Protective

200 15000 Equipment and correct donning and dong 150 10000 techniques. 100 5000 Finally, part of the migration health assessment (and 50 transit) center was repurposed to expand the UN 0 0 MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC Country Clinic for IOM to run health services #OF TESTS CONDUCTED #OF CONFIRMED CASES specically for COVID-19 which includes psychosocial support and close monitoring.

BURUNDI MARCH - APRIL 2021 COVID-19 SITUATION REPORT