A Concise Appraisal of Cameroon’s Hazard Risk Profile: Multi-Hazard Inventories, Causes, Consequences and Implications for Disaster Management

The paucity of a comprehensive document on Cameroon’s hazard/disaster risk profile is a limitation to the country wide risk assessment and adequate disaster resilience. This article narrows this gap by retrospectively exploring Cameroon’s hazard/disaster profile. This has been achieved through an investigative approach that applies a set of qualitative methods to derive and articulate an inventory and analysis of hazards/disasters in Cameroon. The findings indicate that Cameroon has a wide array and high incidence/frequency of hazards that have had devastating consequences. The hazards have been structured along four profiles: a classification of all hazard types plaguing Cameroon into natural, potentially socio-natural, technological, and social and anthropogenic hazards;occurrence/origin of the hazards;their impacts/effects to the ‘at risk’ communities/populace and potential disaster management or mitigation measures. In-depth analysis indicate that natural hazards have the lowest frequency but the potential to cause the highest fatalities in a single incident;potentially socio-natural hazards affect the largest number of people and the widest geographical areas, technological hazards have the highest frequency of occurrence;while social/anthropogenic hazards are the newest in the country but have caused the highest population displacement. Arguably, the multi-hazard/disaster inventory presented in this article serves as a vital preliminary step to a more comprehensive profile of Cameroon’s disaster risk profile.

Applying the novel IDEA model for instructional health risk and crisis communication to explore the effectiveness of the COVID-19 crisis communication in Cameroon.

This paper utilized a new novel framework, the Initialization, Distribution, Explanation, and Action (IDEA) model, for Instructional Health Risk and Crisis Communication (IHRCC) to investigate the effectiveness of the COVID-19 crisis communication (CC) in Cameroon. This contemporary research is empirical, qualitative, exploratory, and novel in the field of CC. Based on the findings, the COVID-19 CC in Cameroon could be ranked mediocre-fair. This is informed by an analysis of the IDEA elements in the framework that reveals that "Internalization" (messages on timeliness, compassion, and impact) was poor, "Distribution" (messages, guidance/protocols, and sources/distribution of messages) and "Explanation" (accuracy of messages, updated messages, and CC languages) were fair, and "Action" (instructional messages on infection control) considered as mediocre. This paper contributes to literature in the field, including concept development in health CC. The novel IDEA framework for IHRCC can enable health crisis managers gain context and better apply best practices to health CC. A structured recommendation on how this can be done has been proffered.

Health and economic imperatives for households in the context of the anti-Covid-19 strategy in Cameroon. The case of Yaounde

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the responses of households in the informal economic sector to the Cameroon Government strategy against Covid-19 in Yaounde, Cameroon between March and May 2020.Design/methodology/approachGiven the recency of Covid-19, the exploratory design was used to collect and analyse information for the study. Empirical data was obtained through personal observations and questionnaires, whereas grey data were sourced from official sources in government and international agencies in Yaounde. The mode of the ordinal data generated from the questionnaire was used to characterise the attitudes of respondents to quarantine measures and bar charts were used to illustrate the distribution of responses.FindingsThe government’s strategy against Covid-19 was largely ignored in Yaounde between March and May 2020 because of the influence of the predominantly informal economy on household’s ability to allocate scarce resources between the competing needs of protecting their health on the one hand, and their livelihoods on the other hand. Poor households had to walk a difficult line between shutting down their businesses to protect their health or risking Covid-19 infections to protect their livelihoods. Over 53.1% of respondents thought quarantine measures were unsuccessful as over 63% ignored them. Quarantining and Social distancing were also difficult in informal settlements because of structural congestion.Research limitations/implicationsPerhaps, the greatest limitation of this study was the use of non-probability sampling. As such, sampling error could not be estimated, blurring the ability to ascertain the degree of similarity between the sample and the study population. This made sample generalisability difficult.Practical implicationsThere are short-term and long-term policy implications of these findings. Basic comprehensive measures including food and water distribution, as well as rent holidays, must be implemented in informal neighbourhoods to ensure more successful quarantines in future pandemics. In the long run, investments in urban social housing must be carried out to reduce slums, an ever-present risk factor in the rapid propagation of infections.Originality/valueThe originality of this study is first, in its level of analysis which is the household. By measuring household responses to quarantine measures within defined neighbourhoods, the study deviates from most that have adopted a theoretical approach and conducted analysis at country or regional levels. Few studies have attempted to investigate the failure of quarantine measures against Covid-19 from the viewpoint of the occupational characteristics of the populations involved.

Gauging Cameroon’s resilience to the COVID-19 pandemic: implications for enduring a novel health crisis

PurposeThis paper aims to examine Cameroon’s health service resilience in the first five months (March–July 2020) of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. The motive is to diagnose sub-optimal performance in sustaining health-care services during the pandemic to identify areas for improvement and draw lessons for the future.Design/methodology/approachThis is principally qualitative, exploratory, analytical and descriptive research that involves the collation of empirical, primary and secondary data. A conceptual framework [health systems resilience for emerging infectious diseases (HSREID)] provides structure to the study and an anchor for interpreting the findings. The research validity has been established by analysing the aims/objectives from multiple perspectives in the research tradition of triangulation.FindingsCameroon has exerted much effort to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, several constraints and gaps exist. The findings reveal limitations in Cameroon’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the provision of fundamental health-care services under contextual themes of health infrastructure/medical supplies, human capital, communication/sensitisation/health education, governance and trust/confidence. Analysis of the identified impediments demonstrates that Cameroon’s health-care system is not resilient enough to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic and provides several insights for an enhanced response as the pandemic accelerates in the country.Originality/valueThis is one of the first scholarly articles to examine how Cameroon’s health-care system is faring in COVID-19 combat. Underscored by the novel HSREID model, this study provides initial insights into Cameroon’s resilience to COVID-19 with a view to enhancing the health system’s response as the pandemic unfolds and strengthens readiness for subsequent health crises.