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

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. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12913-019-4315-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

An Age-stratified, Randomized Immunogenicity Trial of Killed Oral Cholera Vaccine with Delayed Second Dose in Cameroon

“… 2 , 3 Furthermore, health systems of most vulnerable areas are characterized by limited access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), insufficient preparedness of health facilities and weakness of the epidemiological surveillance system. 4 Cholera vaccination, using the killed oral cholera vaccine (OCV) can reduce risk of cholera in areas that are prone to outbreaks. 5 – 7 Two WHO prequalified brands of the killed OCV are available through the global stockpile: Shanchol (Shantha Biotechnics Limited, Telangana, India) and Euvichol (Eubiologics, Chunceon, South Korea).…”

Clinical status of consulting COVID-19 cases and fatal outcome in a Cameroon regional hospital

“…Early detection, diagnosis, isolation, and clinical management of patients would help reduce morbidity and mortality [ 8 ]. The health system in low- and middle-income countries, including Cameroon, is characterized by a relatively limited technical platform and access to care, which may contribute to an increased risk of mortality in the event of an epidemic [ 8 , 13 , 14 ]. This situation has been described in the context of the control of other diseases with epidemic potential in Cameroon [ 13 , 15 ].…”

Intersetorialidade das políticas de saneamento básico e de saúde ambiental: análise dos municípios brasileiros para os anos de 2010 a 2020

“…Sabe-se que a esquistossomose é transmitida pela água, por isso, as condições de água, saneamento e higiene devem ser aprimoradas parar controlar a doença (FACCHINI et al, 2018;TOOR et al, 2018;KULINKINA et al, 2019;AKOACHERE;OMAM;MASSALLA, 2013;PICKERING et al, 2019;ATEUDJIEU et al, 2019;JEANDRON et al, 2015;OJJA et al, 2018;EXUM et al, 2019).…”

“…O treinamento contínuo dos funcionários vinculados aos centros de saúde é necessário para manter o controle de infecções de doenças transmissíveis, principalmente em relação ao manejo e tratamento da doença (KHUN; MANDERSON, 2007;VERAS-ESTÉVEZ;CHAPMAN, 2017;APATA et al, 2019;ATEUDJIEU et al, 2019;KASSIR et al, 2019).…”

“…Outros estudos mostram a importância de se melhorar as condições de água, saneamento e higiene, principalmente para controlar as doenças endêmicas, parasitárias, zoonoses, tais como a esquistossomose (FACCHINI et al, 2018;TOOR et al, 2018;KULINKINA et al, 2019;AKOACHERE;OMAM;MASSALLA, 2013;PICKERING et al, 2019;ATEUDJIEU et al, 2019;JEANDRON et al, 2015;OJJA et al, 2018;EXUM et al, 2019); cólera (JEANDRON et al, 2015;AKOACHERE;OMAM;MASSALLA, 2013;ATEUDJIEU et al, 2019;), ascaridíase (PICKERING et al, 2019), entre outras.…”