WEEKLY BULLETIN ON OUTBREAKS
AND OTHER EMERGENCIES
Week 27: 29 June - 5 July 2020
Data as reported by: 17:00; 5 July 2020
...
Cholera Cameroon
647 Cases
34 Deaths
5.3% CFR
EVENT DESCRIPTION
The cholera outbreak in Cameroon is ongoing, affecting
four regions, Littoral, South West, South and Central
regions. As of 18 June 2020, there have been a total of
647 cases and 34 deaths (case fatality ratio 5.3%). Of the
deaths, a total of 23 have been in treatment centres and 11
in the community. The Littoral Region is the most affected,
with a cumulative total of 563 cases, followed by South
West, with 73 cases, South with 10 cases and Central with
one case. Littoral Region also has the most deaths, with a
cumulative total of 30 (case fatality ratio 5.3%), followed by
South with three deaths and South West, with one death.
All 31 laboratory samples received from Littoral Region
were positive for Vibrio cholerae, with one out of three
from Central Region, one out of one from South West and
four out of 10 from South Region.
Among the 563 cases for which age and sex were known,
in South Region, the median age was 6.5 years (range 17
months to 53 years) and the male to female ratio is 1:3.
This differed in Littoral Region, where the median age was
28 years (range 7 months to 85 years) and the male to
female ratio was 3:2. In South West, the median age was
13 years (range 1 year to 79 years) and the male to female
ratio was 2:1.
PUBLIC HEALTH ACTIONS
The response to the outbreak is being coordinated by
the Public Health Emergency Operations Coordination
Centre, which is in alert mode and who are following
response activities in the affected regions.
The humanitarian response by the health pillar in South
West Region is being led by WHO and there are regular
meetings to coordinated the response and produce
national situation reports.
From 13 to 22 June 2020, there was a mission to
support the response in South West by the Department
to Fight Against Illness, Epidemics and Pandemics,
which evaluated the response in the health zones of
Tiko, Limb? and Bakassi in the region.
Surveillance was strengthened in regions at highest
risk, with notification of suspected cases in Kribi (38)
and Limb? (46) in South West Region.
Case management is ongoing with support provided to
treatment centres in all regions.
There is ongoing infection prevention and control
communication around making water safe for drinking,
hand hygiene and use of latrines
SITUATION INTERPRETATION
Cameroon is one of the countries in the WHO African
Region that is particularly badly affected by COVID-19 and
the redirection of resources away from outbreaks such as
cholera to the pandemic is making it difficult to continue to
mount an effective response. Challenges exist around poor
data collection in affected areas, along with unstable internet
and telephone lines for transmission of surveillance reports.
Additionally, there is insecurity in South West Region, which
is hampering response activities, along with bad weather.
Local and national authorities and partners need to ensure
that COVID-19 response activities take place in collaboration
with responses to other disease outbreaks. A national plan
needs to be prepared around the response to cholera in the
context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/332993/OEW27-290505072020.pdf
