The Ministry of Public Health (Minsanté), on August 16, launched a new reactive cholera vaccination campaign in a number of health districts in the Centre region. The campaign aims at protecting individuals aged one year and above in response to the upsurge in cholera cases in the region.  It is part of the actions to reinforce the national epidemic response strategy, we learn. According to the Minsanté, its aim is to contain the cholera epidemic and prevent its spread to other areas.

The campaign, which ends on August 20, will visit every household in the targeted health districts. It will also have fixed stations in health facilities and temporary fixed stations in Koranic schools, institutions, universities,  places of worship, chiefdoms, markets, bus stations, and other gathering places.

Cameroon has been battling cholera since October 2021. More than 19,000 cases have been confirmed since the start of the epidemic. To date, more than 460 people have died. Since the beginning of 2023, the Centre region has reported the highest number of cases and deaths linked to the disease. It is the new epicenter of the epidemic, according to the latest cholera report published on August 11.

The disease is characterized by severe, sudden-onset diarrhea, resulting in the loss of large quantities of body fluids, and can rapidly lead to death from lack of fluids. It is caused by a bacteria that is transmitted through food or water contaminated by the feces of an infected person. "Good hand hygiene, along with effective sanitation measures and community vigilance, coupled with early case management, generally allow cholera epidemics to be well controlled," says the World Health Organization (WHO). Cameroon experienced its worst cholera epidemic in 2011, with 22,762 cases and 786 deaths.

Patricia Ngo Ngouem