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Since the commercial release of Bt cotton, the issue of the purity of the seeds used by producers has been little addressed, further less in relation to the analysis of the seed production and distribution system in the country concerned. This paper examines the case ofBurkina Faso in 2015, a country where transgenic cottonwith two Bt genes was planted alongside conventional cotton until its suspension decided the same year. According to the thresholds for the presence of Bt genes retained in the study to declare the conventional or transgenic nature of the sampled plots, only 29.3%of the plots assumed to be conventionalwere indeed conventional, compared to 92.6% of the supposedly transgenic plotswhich were indeedtransgenic.However, amongtransgenic plots, only40%met the threshold for containing both of the Bt cotton genes that would have been expected if they had been planted with pure Bollgard II seeds. Some of these purity defects may be explained by examining the system of seed production and distribution. In addition, if one considers the chronology of events up to the delivery of the transgenic seeds byMonsanto, these seeds couldnot systematically containthetwoBt genes.Such an initial defect wasmaintained or even accentuated afterwards. It hampered the efficacy ofBt cotton fromthe outset and,worse, the sustainability of its use by facilitating the selection of pests resistant to each of the two genes used, or even to both simultaneously. The case study underlines how important it is, in view of an efficient and sustainable use of transgenic seeds, to produce and preserve seed purity. It also reveals, regardless of the use of transgenic seeds, the need to adjust the internalized scheme of cotton seed production in francophone Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the enormous victory that has been recorded in decreasing significantly HIV-TB related mortality and morbidity in Sub-Saharan Africa, enormous challenges continue to obstruct proper and enviable control of these conditions. These range from prioritization, ethics, funding, drug resistance and research gaps. Resistance to these diseases could constitute key treatment and prevention challenges to health care systems and the international community if not handled appropriately and promptly. This paper presents key shortcomings of the current funding, management and research policies and highlights possible action areas to remedy this situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]