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Mpox: Cameroon strengthens its measures against the epidemic which has already caused 2 deaths since the beginning of 2024
PUBLISHED ON MONDAY, AUGUST 19, 2024 06:12
On August 16, 2024, the Minister of Public Health, Malachie Manaouda, announced in a press release that Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, has been declared a "public health emergency of continental concern" by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). This declaration, effective since August 13, 2024, highlights the spread of the disease across several African countries, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Central African Republic (CAR), Nigeria, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya. The government member stressed that this declaration of emergency calls for increased vigilance in Cameroon, "especially since an active epidemic is currently raging in certain border regions of the CAR and we continue to record endemic cases in certain health districts of our country ," he said.
According to official sources, since the beginning of 2024, Cameroon has recorded 30 suspected cases of Mpox, including five confirmed and two deaths. Active outbreaks are mainly in the South-West (Mbonge, Buea, and Limbe districts) and North-West (Njikwa and Bamenda districts) regions, we learned. The country, already endemic for Mpox, experiences annual outbreaks. The disease is transmitted from animals to humans, mainly through rodents, but human-to-human transmission is also possible. Vectors of spread include handling bushmeat, animal bites or scratches, body fluids, contaminated objects, and close contact with an infected person. Symptoms begin with fever, headache, muscle pain, swollen lymph nodes, and fatigue, followed by a rash that blisters and crusts.
The Ministry of Public Health says it has intensified its efforts to contain and control the spread of the epidemic in Cameroon and to avoid the importation of additional cases, in collaboration with other administrations and its technical and financial partners. "Epidemiological surveillance has been strengthened in risk areas, particularly epidemic regions and health districts bordering the CAR. Investigations and active search for cases and contact persons in epidemic health districts are continuing. Awareness-raising and community mobilization activities are also being strengthened," reassured Malachie Manaouda. The authorities recommend that people immediately consult health facilities in the event of suspicious symptoms and to respect strict hygiene precautions such as washing hands regularly with clean running water and soap "especially after handling an animal or a product of animal origin, having taken care of a person showing symptoms of monkeypox ," avoiding contact with bodily fluids and sick animals, and consuming well-cooked food.
Mpox, renamed in 2022 by the World Health Organization (WHO), has become a major health issue. On August 14, WHO declared Mpox a "public health emergency of international concern" due to the resurgence of the disease in the DRC and other African countries. This is the second WHO alert on this disease, after the one from July 2022 to May 2023. The new variant of Mpox, named "clade 1b" , was detected in Sweden, marking the first detection outside the African continent. This variant, identified in September 2023 in the DRC, could be more transmissible and more deadly than the previous one, which triggered an epidemic in 2022, according to experts. Since 2022, Cameroon has been fighting the Mpox epidemic. Although vaccines against this infectious disease are not yet available in the country, Cameroon has managed to slow the spread of the virus through symptomatic treatment. As of December 28, 2023, 113 suspected cases, including 18 confirmed and 3 deaths, had been reported.
Patricia Ngo Ngouem
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Monkeypox kills two in Cameroon
...
PUBLISHED BY ARNAUD NICOLAS MAWEL on: August 19, 2024
Cameroon on maximum alert against Mpox
The disease declared a "public health emergency of continental concern" is present in Cameroon. The government is taking measures to prevent the spread of the epidemic.
Two people have died after being infected with monkeypox (Mpox) in Cameroon. The information made public by the Minister of Public Health Manaouda Malachie also reveals that for the year 2024, the country records 30 suspected cases, five confirmed cases. The active outbreaks are in the health districts of Mbonge, Buea and Limbe in the South-West region and in the districts of Njikwa and Bamenda in the North-West region. Apart from these regions, the Littoral, the Centre and the East are other regions on the list of the most affected each year.
The situation in Cameroon must be closely monitored. Vigilance is required in a context where African countries such as Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and especially the neighboring Central African Republic and Nigeria are affected by the disease. In the DRC, for example, since the beginning of 2024, at least 548 people have lost their lives after contracting the disease, out of more than 15,000 cases detected. According to the scientific committee of the Africa CDC, 16 African countries have declared the presence of positive cases or outbreaks of Mpox. A new strain of the virus, more virulent than the previous one, was discovered in the Democratic Republic of Congo in September 2023
The Cameroonian government has activated its maximum alert system. The objective is to limit and control the spread of the disease within the borders as well as its importation. The Minister of Public Health says he has strengthened epidemiological surveillance in risk areas, as well as awareness raising and community mobilization. Manaouda Malachie recommends that the population refer to health facilities in the event of a rash accompanied by fever. The minister also insists on respecting hygiene rules including regular hand washing, avoiding unprotected sex, avoiding contact with the fluids of sick people.
Mpox: Cameroon strengthens its measures against the epidemic which has already caused 2 deaths since the beginning of 2024
PUBLISHED ON MONDAY, AUGUST 19, 2024 06:12
On August 16, 2024, the Minister of Public Health, Malachie Manaouda, announced in a press release that Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, has been declared a "public health emergency of continental concern" by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). This declaration, effective since August 13, 2024, highlights the spread of the disease across several African countries, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Central African Republic (CAR), Nigeria, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya. The government member stressed that this declaration of emergency calls for increased vigilance in Cameroon, "especially since an active epidemic is currently raging in certain border regions of the CAR and we continue to record endemic cases in certain health districts of our country ," he said.
According to official sources, since the beginning of 2024, Cameroon has recorded 30 suspected cases of Mpox, including five confirmed and two deaths. Active outbreaks are mainly in the South-West (Mbonge, Buea, and Limbe districts) and North-West (Njikwa and Bamenda districts) regions, we learned. The country, already endemic for Mpox, experiences annual outbreaks. The disease is transmitted from animals to humans, mainly through rodents, but human-to-human transmission is also possible. Vectors of spread include handling bushmeat, animal bites or scratches, body fluids, contaminated objects, and close contact with an infected person. Symptoms begin with fever, headache, muscle pain, swollen lymph nodes, and fatigue, followed by a rash that blisters and crusts.
The Ministry of Public Health says it has intensified its efforts to contain and control the spread of the epidemic in Cameroon and to avoid the importation of additional cases, in collaboration with other administrations and its technical and financial partners. "Epidemiological surveillance has been strengthened in risk areas, particularly epidemic regions and health districts bordering the CAR. Investigations and active search for cases and contact persons in epidemic health districts are continuing. Awareness-raising and community mobilization activities are also being strengthened," reassured Malachie Manaouda. The authorities recommend that people immediately consult health facilities in the event of suspicious symptoms and to respect strict hygiene precautions such as washing hands regularly with clean running water and soap "especially after handling an animal or a product of animal origin, having taken care of a person showing symptoms of monkeypox ," avoiding contact with bodily fluids and sick animals, and consuming well-cooked food.
Mpox, renamed in 2022 by the World Health Organization (WHO), has become a major health issue. On August 14, WHO declared Mpox a "public health emergency of international concern" due to the resurgence of the disease in the DRC and other African countries. This is the second WHO alert on this disease, after the one from July 2022 to May 2023. The new variant of Mpox, named "clade 1b" , was detected in Sweden, marking the first detection outside the African continent. This variant, identified in September 2023 in the DRC, could be more transmissible and more deadly than the previous one, which triggered an epidemic in 2022, according to experts. Since 2022, Cameroon has been fighting the Mpox epidemic. Although vaccines against this infectious disease are not yet available in the country, Cameroon has managed to slow the spread of the virus through symptomatic treatment. As of December 28, 2023, 113 suspected cases, including 18 confirmed and 3 deaths, had been reported.
Patricia Ngo Ngouem
----------------------------------------
Monkeypox kills two in Cameroon
...
PUBLISHED BY ARNAUD NICOLAS MAWEL on: August 19, 2024
Cameroon on maximum alert against Mpox
The disease declared a "public health emergency of continental concern" is present in Cameroon. The government is taking measures to prevent the spread of the epidemic.
Two people have died after being infected with monkeypox (Mpox) in Cameroon. The information made public by the Minister of Public Health Manaouda Malachie also reveals that for the year 2024, the country records 30 suspected cases, five confirmed cases. The active outbreaks are in the health districts of Mbonge, Buea and Limbe in the South-West region and in the districts of Njikwa and Bamenda in the North-West region. Apart from these regions, the Littoral, the Centre and the East are other regions on the list of the most affected each year.
The situation in Cameroon must be closely monitored. Vigilance is required in a context where African countries such as Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and especially the neighboring Central African Republic and Nigeria are affected by the disease. In the DRC, for example, since the beginning of 2024, at least 548 people have lost their lives after contracting the disease, out of more than 15,000 cases detected. According to the scientific committee of the Africa CDC, 16 African countries have declared the presence of positive cases or outbreaks of Mpox. A new strain of the virus, more virulent than the previous one, was discovered in the Democratic Republic of Congo in September 2023
The Cameroonian government has activated its maximum alert system. The objective is to limit and control the spread of the disease within the borders as well as its importation. The Minister of Public Health says he has strengthened epidemiological surveillance in risk areas, as well as awareness raising and community mobilization. Manaouda Malachie recommends that the population refer to health facilities in the event of a rash accompanied by fever. The minister also insists on respecting hygiene rules including regular hand washing, avoiding unprotected sex, avoiding contact with the fluids of sick people.
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