Between 1993 and 2003, a civil war between the Hutu and Tutsi ethnic groups in Burundi resulted in 200,000 deaths and the displacement of many more people from their homes. USAID has reported that the persistent conflict in Burundi impedes donor operations outside of the capital city of Bujumbura. A peace pact ending this conflict was signed on November 15, 2003, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Despite calm being restored in most parts of the country, conflict with rebel forces continued intermittently in Bujumbura Rural, particularly in the commune of Kabezi, and President Nkurunziza signed a peace agreement with the country's last rebel group in 2006. Burundi is now facing the challenge of returning internally displaced peoples to their homes and rebuilding the country.

Measures of public health in the country are declining; life expectancy is decreasing, while maternal mortality and infant mortality are increasing. Over 8 percent of the adult population are estimated to be infected with HIV/AIDS (with higher rates in urban settings). The HIV/AIDS epidemic has also orphaned thousands of children. Malaria and tuberculosis incidence rates are on the rise. The malaria death rate for children ages 0-4 is 714 per 100,000, and fewer than 1 percent of children are sleeping under insecticide treated bednets. WHO estimated the 2000 TB prevalence rate in Burundi at 249 per 100,000, and the death rate at 65 per 100,000.

Sources: CIA World Factbook, USAID, IRINnews.com (December 19, 2003), United Nations Statistics Division

Burundi has a national tuberculosis program, Programme National de Lutte contre la Lepre et la Tuberculose (PNLT), that has overseen implementation of a DOTS program including the 2RHZE/4R3H3 short course treatment plan. In recent years PNLT became concerned that the efficacy of treatment is rapidly decreasing, and in early 2002 it launched a study of MDR-TB.

Malaria is the leading cause of death in Burundi. In November 2003 the government began to heavily subsidize the use of Artesunate-Amodiaquine combination therapy in combating malaria. Results of this program have been positive, but limited by the lack of health facilities.

Sources: IRIN, December 23, 2003, WHO MDR-TB Research Database, IRIN, January 2, 2004

Demographic data contained in this section was obtained from the following sources: The Population Reference Bureau’s 2009 World Population Data Sheet was used for total population, life expectancy at birth, infant mortality, fertility, birth rate, death rate, % of married women 15-49 using modern methods of contraception, % of population 15-49 with HIV/AIDS in 2007/2008, and the GNI PPP per capita (2008). Literacy rates were found in the Population Reference Bureau’s publication 2005 Women of Our World. HIV prevalence data for 2001 and 2003 was obtained from the UNAIDS Barcelona 2002 report; HIV prevalence and orphan data for 2005 was obtained from the UNAIDS Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic 2006. Data on the % women who have discussed AIDS prevention with their husband or partner can be found in ORC Macro and USAID’s Women’s Lives and Experiences: Changes in the Past Ten Years (Research Findings from the Demographic and Health Surveys). Childhood malaria mortality data was accessed in 2003 from the United Nations Statistics Divisions’ Millennium Indicators. Tuberculosis data was obtained from the United Nations Statistics Division’s Millennium Indicators: MDGInfo 2006. In some cases information was unavailable.

The Universite du Burundi in Bujumbura does have a faculty of medicine. The premiere health care institution in Burundi is the Hospital Prince Regent Charles in Bujumbura. According to the most recent WHO data, Burundi expends approximately 3.1% of GDP on health care (around $16 annually per capita). The WHO does not have accurate data on the number of doctors, nurses and other health professionals in Burundi.

Sources: Afrol.com, TravelGIS.com, MedicsTravel.co.uk, WHO country information

ANSS - Burundi

Programme National de Lutte contre la Lepre et la Tuberculose (PNLT)

In February 2002 PNLT launched a survey of MDR-TB in the capital city of Bujumbura; the security situation did not allow data collection in Burundi's countryside. Results of this study based on 1,000 sputum samples were expected sometime in the summer of 2003. Funding for the study came from Belgian Technical Cooperation and the Damien Foudation, and laboratory work beyond local capabilities was conducted in Antwerp.

Source: WHO MDR-TB Research Database

University of Burundi, Faculty of Medicine

The United States is the largest bilateral donor to Burundi.

Entity	Project Title	Diseases	Primary Category	Secondary Category
Other US	USAID	HIV/AIDS,Malaria	General
	USAID's intenvertaion in Burundi is substantial and adresses many sectors. Malaria is a major health problem in Burundi, made worse by population...
International	World Bank	HIV/AIDS	General
	The World Bank Multisectoral HIV/AIDS Control and Orphans Project is a $36...
International	Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM)	HIV/AIDS,Malaria	General
	In 2003 the Global Fund signed a $4.9 million agreement with Burundi to support HIV/AIDS programs in the country, and a $13.8 million grant...
International	UN Agencies	HIV/AIDS	General
	In 2002 the UN Development Program announced $6.5 million in funding for development programs in Burundi, including almost $2 million for HIV/AIDS...

1. A $1.9 million grant has been approved by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM)to combat tuberculosis in Burundi. The grant agreement has yet to be signed.

   Source: GFATM