Latest news with #CameroonRedCross
Zawya
27-06-2025
- Health
- Zawya
Early detection and action stop a measles outbreak in Cameroon
'I was coughing. My eyes were red, and my nose was running. My skin had rashes.' 7-year-old Djoubeda from Mayo-Oulo village in Cameroon's North region was at home with her grandmother when she started showing worrying symptoms of measles. A highly contagious viral infection, measles spreads easily among the unvaccinated—with young children at highest risk. It's a serious illness that can require hospital admission, cause permanent disability, and even kill if not treated properly. But thankfully help wasn't far away. Local Cameroon Red Cross Society volunteer, Ramatou—affectionately known as Aunty Ramatou in the village—was called to come see little Djoubeda straight away. Ramatou had previously received training in how to recognize and prevent disease outbreaks, and how to quickly report any unusual health events to authorities, through the Community Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness Programme (CP3). 'I received training on detecting diseases in the population. When I visited Djoubeda, I deduced her symptoms resembled measles and that inaction could spread it,' she explains. Without hesitation, Ramatou notified local health authorities of the suspected measles case using a digital community-based surveillance tool set up through the CP3 programme, then took Djoubeda straight to the nearest health centre. Within three days, tests confirmed that Djoubeda did indeed have measles. During that time, Ramatou and fellow CP3 volunteers got to work educating the community in Mayo-Oulo about measles signs and symptoms, how to prevent it from spreading, and how to report if they noticed something was wrong. Upon confirmation of measles, local health authorities immediately launched a mass vaccination campaign in and around the village—calling upon Cameroon Red Cross volunteers for their support in sharing trusted health information about the vaccines and encouraging families to bring their children along to be immunized. 'It's you, the Red Cross, going around to sensitize us. It's because of people going around the village talking about vaccination that I brought him,' explains Maya Sylvie, a mother from Mayo-Oulo village who was supported by the Cameroon Red Cross to vaccinate her baby boy. To achieve herd immunity against measles and prevent recurring outbreaks, at least 95% of the population must be fully vaccinated. This vaccination campaign was therefore a huge joint effort between local health authorities and Cameroon Red Cross volunteers, who mobilized as many community members as possible to bring their children for their jabs. Thankfully, since this outbreak, local health authorities haven't recorded any further measles cases. 'We vaccinated nearly 500 children. What if this epidemic had not been stopped? Measles is deadly. We could have recorded a lot of deaths. After the Ministry vaccinated all the children, we have not had any more cases of measles,' explains Dr Laboulaye, Head of the Mayo-Oulo Health Centre. 'I want to say to the Red Cross: thank you. Thank you for your support, for all your disease prevention activities and help with the response,' she adds. For Ramatou, learning the skills to quickly detect and report outbreaks in Mayo-Oulo was exactly why she wanted to volunteer in the first place: 'I've lived here for over 30 years, since I was 6 years old. I became a CP3 volunteer to help my community. As a volunteer, my motivation is to save lives, ease pain, help the sick, and prevent diseases from spreading. What pleases me is that people listen, volunteers work well, the past diseases are gone and the community values and appreciates our efforts.' And as for little Djoubeda, she happily made a full recovery from measles and is grateful to Ramatou for being there for her when she was sick. 'I was injected and given medicine. I got better and went back home. Aunty Ramatou, who wears the uniform, does her job well,' she says. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
Zawya
02-05-2025
- Health
- Zawya
A simple solution keeping communities in Cameroon hydrated and healthy
Water, sugar, salt—three basic ingredients that, when combined correctly, can mean the difference between life and death for someone battling a diarrhoeal disease. Learn how the Cameroon Red Cross is spreading this knowledge to keep communities across the country healthy and safe. One day in July 2023, Rachel and Irene from the Cameroon Red Cross Society were out and about in Bamvele village, Cameroon, running routine health promotion activities as part of the Community Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness Programme (CP3). They'd called a community meeting and were in the middle of sharing important messages about detecting and preventing infectious diseases, when someone caught Rachel's eye. 'We were in the middle of our session when I saw one lady in particular who was doing her washing and listening really closely. When we finished, she approached us to ask us questions. It was at this point she told us about her mother who had been experiencing diarrhoea for two days and who was lying down at home,' she Rachel. The young woman's name was Najassa. She explained that seeing her mother weak and bedridden for two days had made her extremely worried. But Rachel and Irene reassured her that they could put her mother on the road to recovery using three ingredients she likely already had at home. They proceeded to show Najassa how to prepare something called Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) —a medically formulated drink used to prevent or treat dehydration caused by diarrhoea or vomiting. ORS works by quickly restoring a person's fluids and essential minerals and is a vital tool in the fight against diarrhoeal diseases, which remain one of the leading causes of death in low-income countries. Rachel and Irene taught Najassa to mix one litre of drinking water, eight sugar cubes and two to three pinches of salt in a bottle—shaking well to make sure everything was properly combined. They then told her to give the drink to her mother and keep preparing it for her until she felt better. 'As soon as I started drinking the solution, I felt my strength come back. My daughter asked me 'mum, have you drunk all the medicine yet? The Red Cross told me you have to finish it. I'm going to make you some more.' I finished it all, and by the third day I was no longer suffering from diarrhoea. I trust the Red Cross because the medicine they gave me stopped my diarrhoea, it cured me,' says Amina, Najassa's mother. Thankfully, Amina made a full recovery. And beyond Amina's own personal experience, Rachel and Irene have noticed tangible behaviour change within the community in Bamvele when it comes to protecting themselves from and preventing disease outbreaks. 'We've noticed that now, when people are struck by diarrhoea, they prepare ORS themselves because we've shown them how to do it and they are happy. It's really heartwarming to see,' explains Rachel. Their disease prevention efforts, and those of so many more Cameroon Red Cross staff and volunteers, are also recognized by local health authorities. 'The Red Cross plays an important role in supporting our epidemic preparedness and response activities. They're heavily involved in awareness-raising activities at the community level and provide us with logistical and technical support. The Red Cross and health really go hand in hand,' explains Dr Diane Foe from Cameroon's Delegation of Public Health in the East region. As for Najassa, she feels the help and health knowledge she received from the Cameroon Red Cross will stay with her for years to come. 'If I see someone in my community suffering from this kind of diarrhoea, I'm going to do the same thing I did for my mum. I'll make the solution the Red Cross taught me about. It's so effective. You can do it at home and it gives you strength so you can get to the hospital.' 'Rachel made sure to call me several days later to make sure my mother was okay. She really is an angel for our community. Without the Red Cross, I don't know where my mother would be right now. So I thank them from the bottom of my heart.' The activities featured in this article are part of the multi-country Community Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness Programme (CP3). Funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), CP3 supported communities, Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and other partners to prepare for, prevent, detect and respond to disease threats. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
