BackgroundIn 2010, an estimated 141 new HIV infections occurred per day in Cameroon and reports suggest an upsurge of these rates by 2020 if current trends continue. Mother—to—child transmission (MTCT) of HIV is a major public health challenge, and maternal knowledge on HIV transmission during pregnancy and its prevention is important in curtailing paediatric HIV acquisition.ObjectivesWe aimed at establishing the prevalence of maternal HIV infection as well as assessing knowledge on HIV, MTCT and prevention of MTCT (PMTCT) of HIV among pregnant women in a rural area of Cameroon.MethodsThis study was conducted in two phases: a 29 month retrospective analysis of 1866 deliveries within three rural health facilities in the Babessi sub—division, Northwest Cameroon and a 1 month prospective phase wherein 150 consenting pregnant women attending antenatal care (ANC) at the study centres were consecutively recruited.ResultsOverall, the prevalence of maternal HIV infection was 5.0% (100/2016). All (100%) of the interviewed pregnant women were aware of HIV infection and most (76.7%) had adequate knowledge on its routes of transmission. Meanwhile, only 79.3% (119/150) of them were aware of MTCT with slightly above a third (37.0%) having adequate knowledge on the periods of transmission. The proportions of women correctly stating: during pregnancy, during labour/delivery and during breastfeeding as possible periods of MTCT of HIV were 63.0%, 60.5% and 89.1% respectively. A majority (76.3%) of these women had inadequate knowledge on PMTCT of HIV.ConclusionThe overall prevalence of maternal HIV warrants strengthening of current intervention strategies including scaling—up of PMTCT measures. Among others, intensification of HIV—related ANC services to improve the pregnant women’s awareness and knowledge on MTCT and its prevention are vital steps in curbing the growing burden of paediatric HIV.

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IntroductionNeonatal outcomes can be directly and indirectly affected by caesarean delivery (CD). Data on CD rates in semi-urban and rural hospitals in resource-limited settings are scarce and yet are needed to better guide the care of women and neonates in these settings. we carried out this study to determine the frequency of CD, its indications and the frequency of the various adverse neonatal outcomes (ANO) in the Limbe Regional Hospital (LRH) and the Buea Regional Hospital (BRH), Cameroon. We also assessed the relationship between the indication for CD and ANO in the said hospitals.MethodsThis was a hospital-based retrospective and prospective cross-sectional study using descriptive and analytic methods conducted in the LRH and the BRH maternity units within a nine months period in 2015. Informed consent was obtainedfrom mothers of the neonates. Data analyses were performed using Epi-Info 3.5.4 software.ResultsWe recruited 199 neonates born through CD. The prevalence of CD was 13.3% with cephalopelvic disproportion (CPD) being the most frequent (32.2%) indication for CD. There were 52 (26.1%) ANO following CD and respiratory distress was the most common 24 (46.2%) of all ANO. Emergency indications for CD were associated with more ANO 49 (34.5%) as compared to elective indications for CD 3 (5.3%) [p-value<0.001]. We noted a significant association between indications for CD and the various type of ANO, with CPD having the worse prognostic neonatal outcomes 30.8% [p-value=0.02].ConclusionThe prevalence of ANO associated with CD in our hospitals was high with a worrying prognosis. While the exact reasons are unknown, the creation of well-equipped neonatal units with trained staff, may contribute to reduce neonatal morbidity and fatalities. Furthermore, the association of CPD to worse prognostic neonatal outcomes calls for clinicians, to consider additional management options, such as antibiotic prophylaxis and oxygen therapy to the neonates, prior to CD.

History taking and physical examination is the cornerstone of medical diagnosis as will lead to correct diagnosis 90% of the time. We report a case of a 30-year-old black African man with lymph node tuberculosis diagnosed one year and six months later after onset of symptoms and signs. Clinicians especially those in resource-limited settings should go in for thorough history taking and complete physical examination which is the basis for correct clinical diagnosis, will provide valuable guide in deciding which tests to order and thus laboratory tests done for confirmatory purposes and also, has a cost-effective benefit for the patient.

Background Thoracolumbar spine injury (TLSI) secondary to trauma usually occurs abruptly and leaves demeaning consequences, especially in our setting where the prognosis from several studies is poor. A look at the determinants of prognosis at the Douala General Hospital (DGH) would contribute data that could help in improving this prognosis. Method This was a hospital-based five-year retrospective study. The study population was patients treated for TLSI in the Douala General Hospital from January 2014 to December 2018. Patients’ medical records were used to retrieve data. Data analysis was done using SPSS Version 23. Logistic regression models were fitted to assess the association between dependent and independent variables. Statistical significance was set at 95% confidence interval (CI), with a P-value < 0.05. Results We studied a total of 70 patients’ files. These included 56 males for a M: F sex ratio of 4:1. Mortality rate was 5.7% (n = 4). Almost all (86.9%) of the patients developed complications and we had a 61.4% improvement in neurological status upon discharge. Being covered by health insurance was a predictor of improved neurological status (AOR = 15.04, 95%CI:2.90–78.20, P = 0.001) while being referred was a predictor of a stationary neurological status upon discharge (AOR = 0.12, 95%CI:0.03–0.52, P = 0.005). The average hospital stay was 20 days. We did not identify any predictors of lengthy hospital stay. Conclusion The prognosis of TLSI is comparable with those in other studies. The prognosis could be improved by reducing time spent at the periphery before referral, encouraging universal health insurance coverage, and improve on management to reduce complications