Strengthening Cameroon’s Health Systems to Prepare for COVID-19 Response
Summary
- Since February 2020, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has helped Cameroon respond to COVID-19 by strengthening the country’s health systems, which include surveillance, laboratories, emergency response, and workforce development.
- CDC also supported the establishment and upgrade of the National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL) to distribute, process, and report the results of COVID-19 test kits to country leaders and the World Health Organization (WHO).
- CDC and Cameroon’s partnership contributed to a regional COVID-19 preparedness plan with an impact extending beyond Cameroon’s borders.
Since February 2020, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has helped Cameroon respond to COVID-19 by strengthening the country’s public health systems. Cameroon leveraged previous investments in global health security activities to prevent and control HIV, TB, malaria, and other public health threats. Photo credit: Youta Jorel Morial/Serennah Pictures & Business
In 2022, then CDC Cameroon Country Director Dr. Emily Kainne Dokubo said, “Through the Public Health Emergency Operations Center, that had been constructed with support from CDC, and the Department of Defense DTRA (Defense Threat Reduction Agency), CDC response team and other CDC staff were embedded in the Cameroon Ministry of Health's incident management system, The response team provided support across all technical pillars including epidemiology, surveillance, case finding, rapid response, laboratory, communication, infection prevention and control. Photo credit: Youta Jorel Morial/Serennah Pictures & Business
“As CDC got in during 2020, we moved the country from zero quality assurance programs to establishing a national proficiency testing program as of summer 2022. We have five ISO 15189 internationally accredited labs”, CDC Global HIV TB Branch Chief Dr. Judith Shang said. “Even in terms of surveillance, we were one of the first to really go out to do antibody surveillance in country. We've also been able to build upon our previous support from U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief program particularly for the lab, and to provide support during COVID-19,” Shang added. Photo credit: Youta Jorel Morial/Serennah Pictures & Business
CDC supported the establishment and upgrade of the National Public Health Laboratory (NPHL). NPHL coordinates the distribution of COVID-19 test kits, handles the collection and transportation of samples, and reports results from decentralized laboratories in Cameroon to the country and the World Health Organization. Photo credit: Youta Jorel Morial/Serennah Pictures & Business
The CDC-established Cameroon Field Epidemiology Training Program trained more than 900 field epidemiologists on how to investigate disease outbreaks and implement public health measures, as part of a partnership between CDC and Cameroon. Photo credit: Youta Jorel Morial/Serennah Pictures & Business
Nine senior Cameroonian Public Health Officials, who were trained through CDC’s Public Health Emergency Management Fellowship, now lead the Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 response efforts at the national Emergency Operations Center (EOC). Photo credit: Youta Jorel Morial/Serennah Pictures & Business
To connect with communities, CDC Cameroon set up call centers to provide COVID-19 information and support to the public. The Ministry of Health improved engagement with the public through news briefings to provide information about the COVID-19 pandemic and response in Cameroon. Photo credit: Youta Jorel Morial/Serennah Pictures & Business
Past CDC public health investments, such as the rebuilt National Public Health Laboratory, in Cameroon continued to serve the country during the COVID-19 pandemic. Resources used during the COVID-19 response and workforce training will better prepare the country for future emergencies. Photo credit: Youta Jorel Morial/Serennah Pictures & Business
