The burden of the coronavirus disease 2019 virus infection in Burkina Faso: Results from a World Health Organization UNITY population‐based, age‐stratified sero‐epidemiological investigation

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to estimate the anti‐SARS‐CoV‐2 antibody seroprevalence in the general population of Bobo‐Dioulasso and Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso). METHODS: We collected from March to April 2021 blood samples from randomly selected residents in both main cities based on the World Health Organization (WHO) sero‐epidemiological investigations protocols and tested them with WANTAI SARS‐CoV‐2 total antibodies enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits intended for qualitative assessment. We also recorded participants' socio‐demographic and clinical characteristics and information on exposure to SARS‐CoV‐2. Data were analysed with descriptive and comparative statistics. RESULTS: We tested 5240 blood samples collected between 03 March and 16 April 2021. The overall test‐adjusted seroprevalence for SARS‐CoV‐2 antibodies was (67.8% [95% CI 65.9–70.2]) (N = 3553/3982). Seroprevalence was highest among participants aged 15–18 years old (74.2% [95% CI 70.5–77.5]) (N = 465/627), compared with those aged 10–14 years old (62.6% [95% CI 58.7–66.4]) (N = 395/631), or those over 18 (67.6% [95% CI 66.2–69.1]) (N = 2693/3982). Approximately 71.0% (601/860) of participants aged 10–18 years old who tested positive for SARS‐CoV‐2 antibodies experienced no clinical COVID‐19 symptoms in the weeks before the survey, compared with 39.3% (1059/2693) among those aged over 18 years old. CONCLUSION: This study reports the results of the first known large serological survey in the general population of Burkina Faso. It shows high circulation of SARS‐CoV‐2 in the two cities and a high proportion of asymptomatic adolescents. Further studies are needed to identify the SARS‐CoV‐2 variants and to elucidate the factors protecting some infected individuals from developing clinical COVID‐19.