Conséquences sanitaires et sociales des attaques de Boko Haram pour le Cameroun
Par Julienne Stéphanie Nouetchognou, MPH [dropcap type="circle" color="#FFFFFF" background="#8C212A"]D[/dropcap]epuis les cinq dernières années, le Nigeria fait face au groupe terroriste Boko Haram, qui a jusqu'ici été responsable de nombreux attentats meurtriers. Depuis le début de l’année 2014, ces attaques ont été particulièrement vicieuses, en ciblant les lieux publics et stratégiques tels que les marchés, les hôpitaux, les casernes, les écoles des pays situés dans le bassin du lac Tchad. Cela a entraîné le déplacement massif de milliers de civils dans tout le Nigeria et dans les pays voisins. L'insurrection de Boko Haram est associée à des questions telles que l’alimentation, [...]
Boko Haram Insurgency: Health and social implications for Cameroon
By Julienne Stéphanie Nouetchognou, MPH [dropcap type="circle" color="#FFFFFF" background="#8C212A"]F[/dropcap]or the past five years, Nigeria has struggled with the Boko Haram group, which has so far been responsible for many deadly attacks. Since early 2014, such attacks have been particularly vicious, targeting public and strategic places such as markets, hospitals, army barracks, and schools in countries located along the Lake Chad Basin. This has resulted in the massive displacement of thousands of civilians throughout Nigeria and into neighboring countries. The Boko Haram insurgency goes hand in hand with issues such as access to food, water, shelter, and other basic rights. By [...]
The Silent Epidemic: Non-communicable diseases in Cameroon
By Julienne Stéphanie Nouetchognou, MPH - Health Policy Analyst [dropcap type="circle" color="#FFFFFF" background="#8C212A"]C[/dropcap]ardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes and other chronic diseases are often thought to be public health problems of significance only in developed countries. In reality, however, only 20 percent of chronic disease deaths occur in these countries, while 80 percent occur in developing countries where the vast majority of the world’s population lives. Cameroon, like other developing countries, is now experiencing the double burden of infectious and chronic, non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The burden of infectious diseases is largely driven by malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. Yet, at the same time, [...]
A Situational Analysis of Gender-Based Violence in Cameroon
By Mildred Ayafor [dropcap type="circle" color="#FFFFFF" background="#8C212A"]G[/dropcap]ender Based Violence (GBV) refers to any act committed against the will of a human being on the bases of sex differences. Violence against Women (VAW) refers to any violence perpetrated on women and young girls simply because they are female. Article 1 of the UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women refers to it as: “any act of gender based violence that results in or is likely to result in physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether [...]
HIV AIDS IN CAMEROON – AN UPDATE
By Edith Ndjeng Ossono, Manuella Yimga Fosso & Prudence Missoka [dropcap type="circle" color="#FFFFFF" background="#8c212a"]T[/dropcap]hirty years after the discovery of AIDS, the infection has continued to grow and make victims worldwide. World Health Organization (WHO) identifies it in 2002 as a global pandemic, as nearly 30 million people have died from AIDS since it was discovered. According to the UN mission (UNAIDS), approximately 34 million people are infected in the world today and each year nearly 3 million new cases are diagnosed. In addition, nearly 90% of HIV-infected children in 2011 are found in sub-Saharan Africa. Such statistics are frightening and [...]
“The future we want: what older persons are saying”. The Situation in Cameroon
Fosso Yimga, Policy Intern Article published online at http://bit.ly/19zMwMw Selon la Constitution du Cameroun, la protection sociale des personnes âgées est une exigence de solidarité nationale : « la nation protège les femmes, les jeunes, les personnes handicapées et les personnes âgées ». Par ailleurs, les dispositions du code civil et pénal (article 180) et des avant-projets de code des personnes et de la famille, visent à contraindre les enfants défaillants à s’occuper de leurs parents âgés. En outre, il est aussi important de noter que le droit social camerounais comporte un ensemble de textes organisant la protection sociale [...]
Malnutrition – Agony Alongside Abundance in Cameroon
Under Five (5) Mortality in Cameroon Garoua — Despite fertile lands, malnourishment is rife in the north of Cameroon. Political prioritization and investment are crucial and urgent. Cameroon, with its abundant rainfall and fertile lands, is widely renowned for its enormous agricultural potential. But at the same time, 33% of children under the age of five in Cameroon suffer from malnutrition, and 14% from extreme malnutrition. This deteriorating and protracted crisis has placed Cameroon in the lower echelons of global malnutrition lists for several years, alongside far less resource-rich nations such as Chad and Niger. "Cameroon has been in the [...]
Johns Hopkins to study oral cholera vaccine in Cameroon
The Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health was recently awarded a four-year, $5 million grant to promote the global use of an oral cholera vaccine. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation issued the grant to the Delivering Oral Vaccine Effectively program in order to provide relief agencies and governments with technical assistance on how to use the vaccine, evaluate use practices and develop field surveillance methods. “We believe this grant will greatly facilitate the appropriate use of the new cholera vaccine,” DOVE Director and professor Dr. David Sack said. “In partnership with the World Health Organization, UNICEF and [...]
Africa’s Mobile Health Revolution
By Kristin Palitza A nurse working in a remote clinic in Mueda, a small town in northern Mozambique's Makonde Plateau, receives a shipment of vaccines from the national health department. Using special software on her mobile phone, she sends out a mass text message to alert mothers in the area about the availability of immunisations. She also uses the phone to schedule appointments, access patient records and order new vaccines when stock runs low. It is - for now - a theoretical scenario on how mobile technology can help improve childhood immunisation in sub-Saharan Africa. But it will soon become [...]
