Discussion – Epidemiology and Public Health in Cameroon

Discussion – Epidemiology and Public Health in Cameroon

Epidemiology and surveillance are critical components of public health and an essential tool for the prevention and control of diseases. This discussion will concentrate on Cameroon, West Africa, to describe the major causes of morbidity and mortality, illustrate the application of epidemiological frameworks to a selected disease, and weigh the provision and accessibility of health care. Moreover, the role of socioeconomic, technological, and industrial determinants of health, possible threats to the health of foreigners, and the provision of care to immigrants from Cameroon will also be examined.

Leading Causes of Morbidity and Mortality

The country of Cameroon is currently challenged by both communicable and non-communicable diseases. There are high incidences of malaria, HIV/AIDS, respiratory infections, NCDs like hypertension, diabetes, and other health-related complications. Notably, malaria continues to be a major public health challenge and an important cause of morbidity and mortality in the affected populations, especially children below the age of five years and pregnant women (Li et al., 2022).

Epidemiology of Malaria in Cameroon

Malaria is prevalent in Cameroon due to Plasmodium parasites, which are transmitted by the Anopheles mosquito. Malaria transmission is well explained by the epidemiological triangle, which consists of the agent, host, and environment.

Agent

The causative agents are Plasmodium falciparum, P. vivax, P. malaria, and P. ovale, with P. falciparum being the most prevalent and deadly.

Host

Humans serve as hosts, with susceptibility influenced by factors such as age, immune status, and genetic factors like sickle cell trait.

Environment

Environmental factors include mosquito breeding sites, climatic conditions conducive to mosquito survival, and socioeconomic factors affecting access to preventive measures (Djoufounna et al., 2022).

Malaria is entrenched in Cameroon because of the suitability of the climatic conditions for malaria vector breeding and considerable socioeconomic constraints that hinder the utilization of effective malaria control measures like ITNs and IRS. As malaria is highly prevalent, it exerts significant pressure on healthcare facilities and the overall economy, which requires multi-faceted approaches to manage.

Healthcare Availability and Accessibility

There is a clear distinction between the presence and ease of access to healthcare in Cameroon. Yaoundé and Douala have well-equipped hospitals and clinics compared to the rural areas, which suffer from a severe shortage of health facilities. Challenges relating to health services include lack of health facilities, quantitative and qualitative deficiency of health personnel, and scarcity of necessary medications and diagnostic equipment. This has resulted in high morbidity and mortality from diseases that could otherwise have been prevented or treated in these rural areas that have poor or no access to health care.

The government has also made attempts to enhance the quality of healthcare by expanding the number of health facilities and healthcare providers. However, these initiatives share some issues, such as lack of funding, poor infrastructure, and logistics. Foreign support and cooperation with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are especially important in enhancing the country’s available stock in healthcare.

Impact of Socioeconomic, Technological, and Industrial Factors

According to the variables measured, poverty, low education levels, inadequate health care funding, and related aspects influence the health status of Cameroon. Lack of health facilities and affordability also affects the poor, who cannot afford even basic health services and essential medicines, while illiteracy levels and poor education are associated with improper health consciousness and practices. The application of technology differs since it is more adapted by the urban regions than the rural ones. Besides, Industries, especially in cities, emit fumes that pollute the environment, further worsening respiratory diseases and other related health complications (Ge et al., 2023).

Telemedicine and mHealth have been identified as having the possibility of enhancing healthcare accessibility and quality in Cameroon due to advancements in technology. Nonetheless, there is no question that infrastructure and digital literacy lag in rural areas, making the wider adoption of these technologies difficult. To overcome these disparities, proper investment has to be made in infrastructure and education to provide equal access to healthcare innovations.

Health Risks for Foreigners

Cameroon poses several risks to foreigners’ health, such as malaria, typhoid fever, cholera, hepatitis A and B and other related illnesses; hence, preventive measures like vaccination, chemoprophylaxis for malaria, and safe food and water are important precautions. That is why being aware of possible local threats and following guidelines to protect oneself is significant to avoid getting sick (Musa et al., 2022).

Planning Care for Immigrant Populations

With Cameroon immigrants, health care providers should expect needs involving infectious diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis as well as non-communicable diseases such as hypertension and diabetes. It is essential to be culturally competent when it comes to health beliefs and practices.

Health Education

Providing education on disease prevention, healthy lifestyle choices, and available healthcare services.

Screening and Vaccination

Implementing routine screenings for infectious diseases and ensuring up-to-date vaccinations.

Chronic Disease Management

Developing management plans for NCDs, including medication adherence and lifestyle modifications.

Cultural Competence Training

Equipping healthcare providers with skills to understand and respect cultural differences in health practices.

Following this, to address the health needs of Cameroonian immigrants qualitatively, it is important to appreciate their culture and the beliefs that they harbor about this. Healthcare providers are responsible for working with community leaders and using effective and appropriate communication media to improve health.

Conclusion

Analyzing the role of epidemiology and the notion of surveillance in Cameroon makes it clear that there are numerous problems in the fight against both contagious and non-infectious diseases. Solving these problems involves not only the enhancement of the accessibility and availability of healthcare services but also support from technologies, as well as taking into account the social and economic aspects of the problem and the role of the environment.

References

Djoufounna, J., Mayi, M. P. A., Bamou, R., Foyet, J. V., Tabue, R., Lontsi-Demano, M., Achu-Fosah, D., Antonio-Nkondjio, C., & Tchuinkam, T. (2022). High prevalence of asymptomatic Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Makenene, a locality in the forest–savannah transition zone, Centre Region of Cameroon. Current Research in Parasitology & Vector-Borne Diseases, 100104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crpvbd.2022.100104

Ge, Y., Liang, D., Cao, J., Gosling, R., Mushi, V., & Huang, J. (2023). How socioeconomic status affected the access to health facilities and malaria diagnosis in children under five years: findings from 19 sub-Saharan African countries. Infectious Diseases of Poverty, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40249-023-01075-2

Li, Z., Shi, J., Li, N., Wang, M., Jin, Y., & Zheng, Z. (2022). Temporal trends in the burden of non-communicable diseases in countries with the highest malaria burden, 1990–2019: Evaluating the double burden of non-communicable and communicable diseases in epidemiological transition. Globalization and Health, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992-022-00882-w

Musa, S. S., Ezie, K. N., Scott, G. Y., Shallangwa, M. M., Ibrahim, A. M., Olajide, T. N., Hameed, M. A., & Lucero-Prisno, D. E. (2022). The challenges of addressing the cholera outbreak in Cameroon. Public Health in Practice, 4, 100295. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhip.2022.100295

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We’ll write everything from scratch

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Will discuss Cameroon, West Africa

Review the appropriate rubric to make sure you understand the criteria for earning your grade.
Read Chapter 4 in the textbook, Public Health Nursing: Population-centered Health Care in the Community.
Conduct a search to identify the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in your selected geographic community. Find at least two current scholarly sources to support your explanations and insights. OCLS resources are preferred sources and can be accessed through IWU Resources(new tab). Wikipedia is not permitted, as it is not a peer-reviewed, scholarly source.
Prepare to discuss the following prompts:

Based upon your findings, select one communicable or chronic disease of public health concern within the identified geographic community, and apply the epidemiological triangle or web of causation to explain the epidemiology of that disease process.
Describe the availability and accessibility of health care within the country or region you chose in Workshop Six. Report key health concerns present.
How have socioeconomic, technological, and/or industrial factors affected the health status of this country or region?
Identify any health risks that may be present for a foreigner who visits that country or region.
If you were planning care for an immigrant population from that country or region, what needs would you anticipate? What interventions might you consider?

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