Assessing core capacities for addressing public health emergencies of international concern at designated points of entry in cameroon during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Points of Entry (POEs) are at the frontline for prevention, detection and response to international spread of diseases. The objective of this assessment was to ascertain the current level of existing International Health Regulations (IHR) core capacities of designated airports, ports and ground crossings in Cameroon and identify critical gaps for capacity building for prevention, early warning and response to public health threats including COVID-19. METHODS: Data were collected from April to May 2020 in 5 designated POEs: Yaounde Nsimalen International Airport (YIA), Douala international Airport (DIA), Douala Autonomous Port (DAP), Garoua-Boulai ground crossing, Kye-Ossi ground crossing which were all selected for their high volume of passenger and goods traffic. The World Health Organization (WHO) assessment tool for core capacity requirements at designated airports, ports and ground crossings was used to collect data on three technical capacities: (i) communication and coordination, (ii) Capacities at all times and (iii) capacities to respond to Public Health Emergencies of International Concern (PHEIC). RESULTS: All the investigated POEs scored below 50% of capacities in place. YIA recorded the highest percentage for all groups of capacities, coordination and communication and for core capacity at all times with a percentage of 42%, 58% and 32% respectively. For core capacity to respond to PHEIC, all the POEs recorded below 50%. The DAP and all ground crossings lacked trained personnel for inspection of conveyances. Only DIA had a public health emergency plan. There is no isolation/quarantine and transport capacity at the POEs. CONCLUSION: All POEs assessed did not meet IHR standards and need significant improvement to fulfill the IHR requirements. Unstructured communication channels between stakeholders make the implementation of IHR challenging. A coordination mechanism, with clear functions and structure, is necessary for well-coordinated response efforts to health emergencies at POEs. This assessment will serve as a baseline to inform planning and IHR implementation at designated POEs in Cameroon.

Challenges, best practices, and lessons learned from oral cholera mass vaccination campaign in urban Cameroon during the COVID-19 era.

BACKGROUND: Since 1971, Cameroon has been facing an ever-growing series of cholera epidemics; despite all the efforts made by the government to address this substantial public health problem. In 2020, in addition to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cameroon recorded a high cholera case fatality rate of 5.3% following epidemics noted in the South, Littoral, and South-West regions which is far higher than the 1% World Health Organization acceptable rate. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The Ministry of Public Health organized a reactive vaccination campaign against cholera to address the high mortality rate in the affected health districts. The first round was in August 2020 and the second in March 2021. We conducted a cross-sectional study and reviewed this vaccination campaign's challenges, best practices, and lessons. The vaccination coverage for the two doses of the oral cholera vaccine was 80.4%, with a refusal rate as high as 67%. People 20 years and above recorded the lowest vaccination coverage. The main challenge was misinformation about the cholera vaccine. The best practice was thorough population sensitization through community actors. CONCLUSION: Proper communication will always brave the odds of hesitancy and favor mass population vaccination to thwart hesitancy and consolidate herd immunity.

The first 30 days of COVID-19 vaccination in Cameroon: achievements, challenges, and lessons learned.

Introduction: Cameroon's national vaccination campaign was launched on April 12, 2021, amid a nationwide outbreak of COVID-19 with two types of vaccines. This study provides preliminary evidence to assess early outputs of the COVID-19 vaccination response strategy implementation. Methods: a cross-sectional study was conducted from April 12, 2021, to May 11, 2021, and data on COVID-19 vaccination were reviewed from the Ministry of Public Health database. Descriptive statistical analyses were conducted. Results: thirty days after the introduction of COVID-19 vaccines, just about five percent of the target population was vaccinated. Women represented one-third of the people vaccinated regardless of age and health conditions. Although AEFI reported were minor and scanty with both vaccines, most of the vaccinated did not come back for their second dose. There was a need to build confidence among eligible beneficiaries to expand the benefits of vaccination to control the current pandemic. Conclusion: the country was still far below the target, which was worrisome given that vaccine uptake was slow. Also, 391 200 doses of the Covishield were at risk of expiration in August 2021. This study offers insights into those early efforts contributing to significant discussions about the approaches to improve service delivery and vaccine uptake.

Knowledge and Attitudes of Population Living in Rural and Semi-Rural Areas towards Covid-19 :Case of the Menoua Division, Cameroon.

BACKGROUND: The pandemic situation the world is facing caused by the new SARS-Cov-2 continues to evolve and still represent a real problem. With more than eight thousand reported cases infection, Cameroon stands as the seventh most affected country in Africa. Prevention remains the best way to fight against this zoonosis. However, the limited information available about this infection is a great barrier to stopping the propagation of the virus within the population, especially in rural and semi-rural areas, where the lack of financial and material resources is a reality. This study aimed to assessing Awareness and attitudes of the population of the Menoua Division on COVID-19 infection. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted from March 9 to April 15 2020 amongst the populations of rural and semi-rural areas of the Menoua Division. Data were collected using a questionnaire administered face to face to each participant. The analysis was carried out using the Statistical Analysis System software (SAS version 9.4). The significance threshold was set at a P value of less than 0.05. RESULTS: A total of 434 participants of which male majority (sex ratio 1.07) were included in this study. The most represented age group was [21 - 40] years old representing 40.29% of the participants. Approximately all participants (98.57%) were aware of the world emergency state due to Coronavirus. 75.56%, 91% and 90.93% of the participants knew respectively that having close contacts, kissing and touching the face with the hands could favor the transmission of the virus. However, nearly 91.14% were not aware of the clinical symptoms of the disease. Moreover, 85.02% responded that they would not be able to comply with the confinement measures if they were applied at national level. The level of awareness varied significantly according to the occupation (p=0.038) and the educational level (p<0.001)of the participants. CONCLUSION: The average level of awareness of the population of the Menoua Division on COVID-19 infection was relatively low. Overcoming this pandemic disease means ensuring the flow of the correct information towards the population. Community outreach activities focus on clinical manifestations and what to do in case of COVID-19 infection as well as material and financial support should be help the population to protect themselves effectively against pandemic, particularly in rural areas and surrounding.

Decrease in Hospitalizations and Increase in Deaths during the Covid-19 Epidemic in a Pediatric Hospital, Yaounde-Cameroon and Prediction for the Coming Months.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic reached Cameroon in March, 2020. The aim of this study was to unveil the consequences of this pandemic on hospitalizations and on mortality in a pediatric hospital. Methods: A descriptive and retrospective cross-sectional study was carried out using hospitalization and death statistics collected from a pediatric hospital. We compared the data before and after the pandemic and made predictions for the next 12 months. Results: A drastic drop in hospitalizations was noted coinciding with the partial lockdown in Cameroon. Paradoxically, at the same time, the number of deaths per month doubled though the causes remained the same as in the past. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic was marked by drop in hospitalizations and paradoxically, an increase in child mortality. These deaths were probably due not to SARS-Cov-2 infection, but rather due to the usual illnesses whose management was delayed, a probable consequence of the confinement.