Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Jul 8;19(1):458.
doi: 10.1186/s12913-019-4315-7.

Health facility preparedness for cholera outbreak response in four cholera-prone districts in Cameroon: a cross sectional study

Jerome Ateudjieu  1   2 , Martin Ndinakie Yakum  3 , Andre Pascal Goura  1 , Sonia Sonkeng Nafack  1 , Anthony Njimbia Chebe  1 , Joliette Nguefack Azakoh  1 , Benjamin Azike Chukuwchindun  1 , Eugene Joel Bayiha  1 , Corine Kangmo  1 , Gnodjom Victorin Boris Tachegno  1 , Anne-Cécile Zoung Kanyi Bissek  4
Affiliations

Health facility preparedness for cholera outbreak response in four cholera-prone districts in Cameroon: a cross sectional study

Jerome Ateudjieu et al. BMC Health Serv Res. .

Abstract

Background: The risk of cholera outbreak remains high in Cameroon. This is because of the persistent cholera outbreaks in neighboring countries coupled with the poor hygiene and sanitation conditions in Cameroon. The objective of this study was to assess the readiness of health facilities to respond to cholera outbreak in four cholera-prone districts in Cameroon.

Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted targeting all health facilities in four health districts, labeled as cholera hotspots in Cameroon in August 2016. Data collection was done by interview with a questionnaire and by observation regarding the availability of resources and materials for surveillance and case management, access to water, hygiene, and sanitation. Data analysis was descriptive with STATA 11.

Principal findings: A total of 134 health facilities were evaluated, most of which (108/134[81%]) were urban facilities. The preparedness regarding surveillance was limited with 13 (50%) health facilities in the Far North and 22(20%) in the Littoral having cholera case definition guide. ORS for Case management was present in 8(31%) health facilities in the Far North and in 94(87%) facilities in the littoral. Less than half of the health facilities had a hand washing protocol and 7(5.1%) did not have any source of drinking water or relied on unimproved sources like lake. A total of 4(3.0%) health facilities, all in the Far North region, did not have a toilet.

Conclusions: The level of preparedness of health facilities in Cameroon for cholera outbreak response presents a lot of weaknesses. These are present in terms of lack of basic surveillance and case management materials and resources, low access to WaSH. If not addressed now, these facilities might not be able to play their role in case there is an outbreak and might even turn to be transmission milieus.

Keywords: Cholera; Health facility; Hygiene; Preparedness; Sanitation; Surveillance; WaSH; Water.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Pena ES, Kakaiuml CG, Bompangueacute D, Cholera TK. Evolution of epidemiological situation in four French-speaking African countries from 2004 to 2013. West Afr J Med. 2014;33(4):245–251. - PubMed
    1. Djomassi LD, Gessner BD, Andze GO, Mballa GAE. National surveillance data on the epidemiology of cholera in Cameroon. J Infect Dis. 2013;208(Suppl 1):S92–S97. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jit197. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ngwa Moise C., Liang Song, Kracalik Ian T., Morris Lillian, Blackburn Jason K., Mbam Leonard M., Ba Pouth Simon Franky Baonga, Teboh Andrew, Yang Yang, Arabi Mouhaman, Sugimoto Jonathan D., Morris John Glenn. Cholera in Cameroon, 2000-2012: Spatial and Temporal Analysis at the Operational (Health District) and Sub Climate Levels. PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. 2016;10(11):e0005105. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0005105. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Munier A, Njanpop-Lafourcade B-M, Sauvageot D, Mhlanga RB, Heyerdahl L, Nadri J, et al. The African cholera surveillance network (Africhol) consortium meeting, 10–11 June 2015, Lomé, Togo. BMC Proc [Internet]. 2017 Jan 31 [cited 2017 Aug 18];11(Suppl 1). Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5301166/ - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ngwa MC, Liang S, Mbam L, Arabi M, Teboh A, Brekmo K, et al. Cholera Public Health Surveillance System in Cameroon. Online J Public Health Inform [Internet]. 2015 Feb 26 [cited 2017 Aug 20];7(1). Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4512393/