A national survey of Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichuria was carried out in Cameroon on more than 22,000 children from a random sample of 512 schools. Prevalence rates of both A. lumbricoides and T. trichuria infection were very low in the tropical zone (below 5%). They increased markedly in the equatorial zone, Guinea-type climate, to 60-85% for A. lumbricoides and 85-95% for T. trichuria. In the equatorial zone with Cameroon-type climate, prevalences were slightly lower: 50-70% for A. lumbricoides and 70-90% for T. trichuria infections. Environmental conditions are the main factors explaining these differences. Other factors (altitude, population density and urbanization) were not important. The entire population of villages selected from distinct climatic zones of Cameroon were also examined. The age group distribution of A. lumbricoides and T. trichuria infections indicated acquisition early in life, reaching a peak in early childhood, followed by a stable prevalence rate.

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Background: Urogenital schistosomiasis is a parasitic infection of public health importance that affects over 112 million people worldwide. The study aimed at assessing the urogenital schistosomiasis prevalence and risk factors of transmission around Mape dam suburds in Malantouen district, West, Cameroon. Methods: The study was conducted using semi-structured pretested questionnaires to collect socio-demographic and ecological data. Urine samples were also collected and used to confirm the prevalence of schistosomiasis in consented school-aged children in four primary schools between March -July 2014. Snails' samples around the dam surburbs were also collected for taxonomy characterization and species identification. Data were compiled and quality control assessed and analysed using SPSS version 17 and Epiinfo data 3.1. P < 0.05 was considered statistical significance. Results: Questionnaires were administered to 229 pupils, with gender ratio of 1.04 (m/f). The prevalence of schistosomiasis haematobium was 16.6%. Mambonko school site, which is the closest to the dam suburbs, registered the greatest prevalence rate of 40%. The age group beween 10-13 years was the most infected (18.3%) and boys were more infested than girls (21.0% vs. 15.5%). Haematuria, urination pain, school absentiesm and poor performance were the major recorded complications in 39.5 and 26.3% males to female respectively. Infection rate gender disparity documented is still poorly understood and Bulinus truncatus collected from Mambonko suburb as potential snail intermediate host requires further studies. Conclusions: Authors advocated that schools and dam suburds sustained and innovative community-based surveillance and response targeted interventions implementation are needed to inform and support decisionmaking policy, but also in improving effective contextual behavioural communication changes and MDA improved uptake measures on national schistosomiasis control and elimination in Cameroon.

Abstract. One hundred and two children aged 0-10 years with cerebral malaria (Blantyre coma score of 2 or less) were randomly treated either with intramuscular arteether (3.2 mg/kg on Day 0, followed by 1.6 mg/kg on Days 1 to 4) or intravenous (IV) quinine dihydrochloride (20 mg of the salt/kg, followed by 10 mg of the salt/kg every 8 hr up to Day 6). Treatment with oral quinine sulfate (10 mg/kg every 8 hr) was substituted for IV quinine when the patient was able to take oral medicine. All patients were followed up in the hospital for 7 days; thereafter, they were treated as outpatients on Days 14, 21, and 28.Mortality rate, the main efficacy parameter, was 11.8% lower in the arteether treatment group than in the quinine group (15.7% versus 27.4%); however, the difference was not significant (P ϭ 0.25). Means for fever clearance time, coma resolution time, and parasite clearance time were similar in the 2 treatment groups (42.2 Ϯ 34.9 hr; 34.8 Ϯ 18.8 hr, and 46.3 Ϯ 28.5 hr, respectively for arteether, versus 45.0 Ϯ 26.7 hr; 30.3 Ϯ 18.9 hr, and 40.7 Ϯ 18.9 hr, respectively, for quinine). At 28 days, the cure rates were 73.2% and 64.9% for the arteether and quinine treatment groups, respectively.Arteether is safe and therapeutically at least as effective as quinine for the treatment of cerebral malaria in children in Cameroon. Because of its ease of administration, arteether appears to be suited for use in the rural zones where monitoring facilities do not exist.

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