South West Region Of Cameroon Research Articles

Cocoa production under climate variability and farm management challenges: Some farmers' perspective

In the last decade, the global demand for cocoa beans and its bi-products has risen three times faster than population growth, and a 20% growth prediction by industry forecasts over the next decade. This increase in global demand shows that the cocoa production sector remains pivotal in the policy and research agenda of major cocoa-producing countries in West Africa. In this study, we assessed the causes of low cocoa production in the South West Region of Cameroon. A multi-stage random sampling procedure was used to interview 201 cocoa farmers. The ordinary least square results revealed that farm size, labour, capital, and education as well as modern practices such as farmer spraying pests and diseases, and harvesting of infested pods, mistletoe, and water shoot significantly affected output. The chi-square test statistics indicated that gender, education, farming experience, capital, farmer spraying pests and diseases, harvesting of infested pods, mistletoe, and water shoots, the number of times they prune cocoa tree branches, and frequent harvesting of ripe cocoa pods significantly affected cocoa production under climate variability. The results further revealed that the cocoa yield levels are significantly below the maximum attainable yields, with yield increase primarily attributed to an increase in area harvested. Hence, with increasing vulnerability in the cocoa sector, it is necessary to formulate climate-smart cocoa production policies that consider sustainable farm management practices, institutional factors, as well as socio-economic factors to boost cocoa production.

Dynamics of Ndu and Tole Agro-Industries and Outcomes on Rural Development in Northwest and Southwest Regions of Cameroon

Agro-Industries play crucial roles in population empowerment, rural development and the dynamics of communities in developing countries. The Ndu and Tole Tea estates in Cameroon are not exceptions. Created by the Germans, in 1928 the management of the estates was inherited by the British under the Commonwealth Development Cooperation and later transferred to the Cameroon Development Corporation (CDC) in 1947. These agro-industries now under private management since 2002 have been involved in tea production, transformation and commercialization in national and international markets. In the process of achieving these goals, the enterprises have been at conflict with the local populations and workers that carry out activities in the plantations. Even though, the estates have been at the forefront of rural development and livelihood transformation in the Northwest and Southwest Regions of Cameroon, their activities at different periods of Cameroon history have had several negative outcomes in the uplift of populations and promotion of development in the countryside. This study has as objective to investigate how the activities of these estates have contributed to the improvement of rural livelihoods and development in the study sites and emerging challenges. Data for production of this work is tapped from primary sources (field investigations) and secondary sources (literature on development, agriculture, and industrial geography). The findings of this study show that the estates have created job opportunities for the population, enhanced the incomes of host communities, improved the road infrastructure, health, water and electricity services of the rural population. On the other hand, the working conditions of population that operate in the estates have been precarious and marked by human rights violation through nonpayment of debts owed workers, wanton dismissal of workers without justification, landgrab and conflicts amongst others. This paper investigates into the development history of these enterprises.

Epidemiological factors associated with HBV infection and uptake of testing in south west region of Cameroon: What can be done to scale up HBV testing in our setting?

Hepatitis B infection affects millions of people globally, partly due to its high degree of transmissibility and asymptomatic nature. This study was aimed at identifying prevailing epidemiological factors associated with HBV infection and testing uptake in the South West region of Cameroon. This hospital-based case-control study enrolled HBV infected participants and "healthy" controls ≥18 years old. Venous blood collected from participants was used to conduct HBV panel test (HBsAg, anti-HBs, HBeAg, anti-HBe, anti-HBc). Data on demographic and behavioral risk factors as well as reasons for taking the HBV test for the first time were collected using a questionnaire. A total of 424 participants were enrolled (212 "healthy" controls and 212 HBV infected cases). Male sex (odds ratio [OR] = 2.08, p = 0.010), ≤ secondary education level (OR = 4.83, p<0.001), low-income level (OR = 3.79, p<0.001), rural settlement (OR = 2.17, p = 0.031), history of sexually transmitted infections (STI) (OR = 4.24, p<0.001) and ignorance of sexual partners HBsAg status (OR = 2.70, p = 0.003) all had an independent and significant association with HBV infection. Top 3 reasons for doing HBsAg test were free screening (40.3%), blood donation (15.0%) and administrative requirements (14.9%). HBV testing uptake and early detection can be improved if more sensitization and free/opportunistic screenings are implemented. A significant drop in the cost of HBV test could encourage more people to get tested.

Agroforestry as an Agro-Ecological Pathway to phase-out chemical Fertilizer Application in Smallholder Farms in Cameroon: State-of-the-Art and Policy Implications

Man and ecosystems are highly threatened by the abusive application of chemical fertilizers in a bid to enhance soil fertility and improve crop productivity. These chemical fertilizers pose serious health risks to farmers and the population at large and contribute to short and long-term soil degradation. Thus, this study was initiated to examine how agroforestry can contribute towards phasing out chemical fertilizers application in smallholder farms in the south west region of Cameroon. Data collection was done from secondary and primary sources and analyzed using inferential and descriptive statistics. Microsoft Excel 2013 and SPSS version 17 were used to run the descriptive and inferential statistics. It was found that silvopastoral, agrosilvopastoral and agrosilvicultural systems were the most dominant agroforestry systems, with different agroforestry practices like coffee-based agroforestry plantations, cut and carry fodder, home gardens, trees/shrubs on farmlands, cocoa-based agroforestry plantations, live fences, improved fallows and home gardens with livestock characterizing these three agroforestry systems. These agroforestry systems provided different ecosystem services to agroforestry practitioners with the most common being food, fuelwood, finance/income, and climate moderation. Besides food and soil fertility enhancement, very limited or no chemical fertilizer was used to obtain the other ecosystem services. There was an inverse relationship (p&lt;0.05) between ecosystem services of agroforestry systems and chemical fertilizer application, demonstrating that chemical fertilizers are not needed to enhance the ecosystem services of agroforestry systems. There was equally an inverse relationship (p&lt;0.05) between agroforestry systems and chemical fertilizer application, indicating that farmers’ practice of agroforestry reduces chemical fertilizer application on farms. Agroforestry is therefore recommended as a sustainable pathway to limit and/or eradicate farmers’ application of chemical fertilizers.

The Contribution of Community Forestry on Livelihood Improvement and Environmental Protection in Cameroon

The sustainable management of community forests in Cameroon is a success story for the achievement of Community-Based natural Resources Management (CBNRM). This approach empowers local communities to take the lead on natural resources management, giving them a sense of responsibility and ownership. This study was carried out in three community forest (Woteva, Bakingili and Bimbia-Bonadikombo community forests) in Fako Division, South West Region of Cameroon. The aim of this research was to verify the contribution of community forestry to the wellbeing of the local population, and how it enhances the conservation of biodiversity. In this study, 135 (45.8%) of the 295 respondents were from Bimbia-Bonadikombo, 109 (36.9%) from Bakingili and 51 (17.3%) from Woteva. From this total, 155 (52.5%) were female and the rest (140 or 47.5%) were male. 89.4% of the population use the forests for fuelwood collection, 25.7% for timber exploitation, 40% for farming, and 41.3% for non-timber forest products (NTFPs) harvesting. Interestingly, only 17.9% of the respondents reported an increase in community members income under community forestry, 53.9% perceived no change especially as not everyone in the community is committed to community forestry. However, an improved adoption of sustainable exploitation practices was noted, and this can be explained by the numerous sensitization and training workshops and field demonstration carried out by the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife through the Programme for the Sustainable Management of Natural Resources-Southwest (PSMNR-SW), as well as Mount Cameroon prunus africana Association (MOCAP).

Knowledge of mental health and its correlation with attitudes and behaviors towards people with mental illness in the South West Region of Cameroon

Background: Mental illnesses are one of the health challenges that impose a heavy health burden on patients, families, and society at large due to a general disdain and lack of care in comparison to other illnesses. Objective: This study examined the general public’s knowledge and its relationship to attitudes and behaviors toward mental illnesses in Cameroon’s South West Region. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study with 400 respondents out of 1500 participants who were recruited via an online survey. The Mental Health Knowledge Schedule (MAKS), Community Attitudes Toward Mental Illness (CAMI), and Reported and Intended Behavior Scale (RIBS) were used to assess knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors toward mental illness, respectively. Sociodemographic information was also gathered. The cutoff points for low, medium and high scores were set at the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles of the MAKS, CAMI, and RIBS scores, respectively. Results: The survey was completed by 400 people out of the 1500 consenting participants recruited for the study. Approximately 72 percent of study participants had a high score for public stigma toward people with mental illness. In terms of knowledge, 32.1 percent had little knowledge of mental health, while 62.3 percent reported favorable attitudes toward people with mental illnesses. Tertiary education (β = 0.018, p 0.05), having a close relative/friend with mental illness (β = 0.029, p 0.05), and current or past history of mental illness (β = 0.079, p 0.05) all had a positive impact on knowledge of mental health after multivariate adjustments. Higher MAKS scores (β = 0.142, p 0.001), living in an urban area (β = 0.372, p 0.001), tertiary level of education (β = 0.812, p 0.001), having a close relative/friend with mental illness (β = 0.376, p 0.001), and having a current or past history of mental illness (β = 1.032, p 0.001) were associated with a lower likelihood of stigmatization against people with mental illness (higher CAMI scores). Higher MAKS scores (β = 2.120, p 0.001), higher CAMI scores (β = 1.043, p 0.001), having a close relative/friend with mental illness (β = 0.610, p 0.001), and having a current or past history of mental illness (β = 2.381, p 0.001) all had a significant impact on the positive behavior (higher RIBS scores) towards people with mental illness. Living in a rural area (β = -0.514, p 0.001) and being a non-healthcare worker (β = -0.245, p 0.05) were both associated with lower mental health knowledge. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that people who live in rural areas, non-healthcare workers, and people with a low level of education have poor knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors toward people with mental illness. To improve mental health knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors toward the mentally ill, these groups should be prioritized in health promotion interventions. Keywords: Serum lycopene, Lung cancer, Mortality risk, Cohort study

Mainstreaming Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Council Development Plans in the North West and South West Regions of Cameroon

Gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE) have been identified at the global, regional, national and local levels as an indicator of sustainable development. From the 1995 Beijing Platfom of Action gender mainstreaming in analyis, policy and practice emerged as the licphin of neol-liberal development. In the decades that followed, the emphasis on GEWE has been reinforced by overwhelming consensus that gender inequality and wide gender gaps across all sectors inadvertently deprives women and girls from enjoying development benefit on the same basis as men and boys. Cognizant of the necessity to scale-up inclusive development as promoted by the Sustaniable Development Goals (SDGs), Africa’s Agenda 2063, as well as Cameroon’s Vision 2035, mainstreaming gender in public institutions such as local councils has been ramped up. Local councils therefore emerge as an approptiate site to carry out analysis on how gender equality and women’s empowerment are mainstreamed. This paper examines how selected local councils in the North West and South West regions of Cameroon mainstream gender equality and women’s empowerment in local development programmes. The paper employed a convergent parallel mixed method resarch design in which 215 questionnaires were administered, 8 interveiws conducted, and 2 Focused Group Discussions (FGD) were organised. The findings revealed that mainstreaming gender equality was not vigorously pursued as a policy option by local councils despite recognition of the fact that wide gender disparities persist between women and men in local councils. Turning to women’s empowerment, the study discovered that local development interventions did not approach women’s empowerment from a transformatory perspective. Rather, women’s empowerment was predominantly operationalised in terms of access to basic needs such as farming inputs. The paper recommends among other things that mainstremaing gender and women’s empowerment should be integrated at all levels in council development programmes in the North West and South Regions of Cameroon.

Covid-19 Pandemic and the Degree of Informality of Sole Proprietor Entrepreneurship (SPE)

This study reports a survey conducted July and August 2021 in the cities of Bamenda and Buea respectively capital cities of North West and South West regions of Cameroon amongst 255 sole proprietor entrepreneurs (SPE). The study seeks to examine the personal and Structural factor driving SPE in whole or in part to operate informal and their degree of informality during the Covid-19 pandemic. The study adopted a survey research design. The finding showed that 38.4% of SPE operate wholly informal, 17.3% largely informal, 14.9% largely formal and 29.4% wholly formal since the outbreak of covid-19 pandemic in the cities. Using ordinary logistic regression model, the study revealed that the structural factors of tax avoidance and tax fraud are high in the cities of Bamenda and Buea. Revealing that there is a high significant likelihood that as tax avoidance and tax fraud increase by one unit, more sole proprietor entrepreneur chose to remain wholly informal within the period of covid-19 pandemic. This suggests SPE have adopted tax avoidance and tax fraud as resilience strategies to overcome the challenges posed by Covid-19.

Harvesting and Marketing Pattern of Monodora myristica and Afrostyrax kamerunensis in Wabane Sub-division in the South West Region of Cameroon

Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) are an integral part of development and survival of people living in and around forests areas which constitutes a major livelihood activity for them. This study was carried out from April to July 2017, with main objective to know the harvesting and marketing pattern of Monodora myristica and Afrostyrax kamerunensis in six selected villages namely Babong, Banteng, Bechati, Mbechoh, Talung and Tabot of Wabane Sub-division. Monodora myristica and Afrostyrax kamerunensis are popular aromatic spices widely used in traditional system of medicines and also in preparation of traditional dishes in Cameroon. In order to meet the set objectives, participatory rural appraisal (PRA) tools were used to source information on the harvesting and marketing pattern of selected species in the study area. A questionnaire survey was conducted to investigate the harvesting pattern, marketing channels and price of Monodora myristica and Afrostyrax kamerunensis. The results showed that 50.05 tons and 25.7 tons of Monodora myristica and Afrostyrax kamerunensis were harvested, respectively while 45 tons and 24.98 tons of Monodora myristica and Afrostyrax kamerunensis were sold, respectively. The annual trade value of Monodora myristica was observed to be 40,228,600 FCFA and 44,378,000 FCFA for harvesters and retailers, respectively. While, the values for Afrostyrax kamerunensis were 22,375,160 FCFA and 25,788,000 FCFA, respectively. It has been observed that men were actively engaged in production while women in trading process of selected NTFP’s yielding tree species. A bucket of 15litres (25kg) of Monodora myristica on an average costs 22,000 FCFA while that of Afrostyrax kamerunensis costs 25,000 FCFA. Market prices were found to be determined by the forces of demand and supply, rate of production and seasonal variations. The study concluded that Monodora myristica and Afrostyrax kamerunensis are important sources of income to the local communities and making an important contribution to their livelihoods.

Non-Timber Forest Products and Local Livelihoods Around the Bamboko Forest Reserve in the South West Region of Cameroon

The study assesses the contribution of non-timber Forest Products (NTFPs) in rural livelihoods and the strategies for their conservation. A survey was conducted with 150 respondents in six villages of the Bamboko Forest Reserve (BFR), using questionnaire, complemented by interviews, focus group discussions and direct field observations. The results showed that 10 key NTFPs of plant origin and 13 animal species contributed to income generation, trade, employment and household energy in communities adjoining the BFR. In 2013, these communities generated an income of US$ 6,965 and US$ 3,603.8 per month from the sale of plant based major NTFPs and ‘bush meat’ respectively, contributing to the wellbeing of families. Unsustainable harvesting of NTFPs from the BFR have resulted in 90% reduction in quantity collected, 83% decrease in income as well as a purported 91% degradation of the forest reserve. Indeed, over 90% of local population indicated significant decrease in the quantity of NTFPs harvested and the number of animals hunted per month with consequential decreases in incomes.

Contribution of Poverty to Environmental Degradation in Cameroon

The paper titled contribution of poverty to environmental degradation examines how environmental quality has been decreasing in Cameroon, particularly in the North West and South West Regions. Poverty is the primary attribute of most developing countries; this study aims at investigating the extent to which poverty can contribute to the continual uprising of climate change through specific causes like environmental degradation. The study adopted a a mixed methods approach utilizing quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection in the North West and South West regions of Cameroon through interviews and questionnaires. Findings indicate that poverty is among the principal sources of environmental damage in North West and South West regions of Cameroon. The paper further found out that poverty has greatly contributed to environmental degradation as a result of deforestation of existing forests with some statistics of 32.5%. This is explained by that fact that, the massive rural exodus into urban areas creates scarcity of suitable land for agriculture. As a result, the population tends to encroach into the forest thereby destroying the existing ecosystem. Therefore, the efforts to reduce environmental degradation must be comprehensive enough and the priority of environmental policies should in the first place, target poverty reduction.

Outreach &amp;amp; Sustainability of Microfinance Institutes (MFIs) in the Midst of the Anglophone Crisis in Cameroon: A Comparative Analysis of MFIs Affiliated to CamCCUL Using DEA and Tobit Censored Model for the Period of 2017 and 2020

Microfinance and its origin are associated with poverty reduction. Despite increased regulation on Microfinance Institutions, challenges in terms of financial sustainability and social responsibility (Outreach) still persist. The main goal of this paper is to assess the effect of Anglophone crisis on the Outreach and Sustainability of Microfinance Institutes in Cameroon. The Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method and the Tobit Censored model were used on data of 40 MFIs affiliated to CamCCUL selected from the Northwest and Southwest Regions of Cameroon given that these are the two regions that have been highly affected by the Anglophone crisis for the period of 2017 and 2020. Findings reveal that there is trade-off between Outreach and Sustainability of MFIs. The Anglophone crisis has greatly affected the efficiency of MFIs located in the Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon. However, analysis showed that there was a slight improvement in outreach and financial performance of MFIs in 2020 as compared to the year 2017 when the crisis was at its peak. It was also realised that the size of MFI, its location, subsidies and other related factors have a great influence on their efficiency. The paper, therefore, recommends that the Government should highly subsidise MFIs in the Northwest and Southwest Regions to enable them to survive in the midst of the Anglophone Crisis and MFIs should adopt good governance practices in order to be efficient both in terms of Social Performance (Outreach) and Financial Performance (Sustainability) in this midst of this crisis.

Hepatitis B Vaccination Coverage and Its Predictors among Health Workers in Fako Division, South West Region of Cameroon

Hepatitis B Vaccination Coverage and Its Predictors among Health Workers in Fako Division, South West Region of Cameroon

Pulmonary hypertension among patients hospitalized with acute heart failure in Buea, South West Region of Cameroon.

pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a common and severe complication in patients with heart failure (HF). It is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. There is limited data in Cameroon on the prevalence of PH in hospitalized HF patients and its impact on outcome. we analyzed data from consecutive adult patients hospitalized with. Pulmonary hypertension (PH) was defined as pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP) ≥ 35mmHg. eighty-six (86) consecutive patients were hospitalized and 66(76.7%) had measurable PASP on echocardiography. Of those with echocardiographically measurable PASP (66), there were 39 (59.1%) females. The median (IQR) age was 60 (42-76) years. The prevalence of PH was 93.9%. PH was present in all (100%) patients with right heart failure (RHF) and in 62 (93.9%) patients with left heart failure (LHF). Severe PH (PASP ≥55 mmHg) was seen in 45 (68.2%, [95% CI: 55.6-75.1]) patients. The mean PASP was significantly higher in those with isolated RHF compared with those who had isolated left or bi-ventricular failure. Factors likely associated with moderate-to-severe PH (PASP ≥ 45 mmHg) were female sex, RHF, and right atrial dilatation. After adjusting for sex, right atrial dilation was independently associated with moderate-to-severe PH. In-hospital death occurred in 7 (10.6%, [95% CI: 4.4-20.6]) patients. The median (IQR) time to death was 6 (3-7) days and ranged from 2 to 8 days. All deaths (100%) occurred in those with moderate-to-severe PH. the prevalence of pulmonary hypertension in hospitalized heart failure patients was high with two third of the patients having severe PH, and most commonly occurred in females. All deaths occurred in patients with moderate-to-severe PH.

Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Parents Regarding Convulsion in Children Under Five Years in Muea Community, Cameroon

Background Convulsion is an event that can emotionally traumatise most parents. Inadequate knowledge regarding convulsion can cause parental anxiety. Aim This research sought to investigate the knowledge, attitudes, concerns and practices of parents regarding convulsion in children under five-years. Methods The study employed a community based cross-sectional survey design. Purposive, convenient and snowball samplings were used to select the study site and enroll participants to the study. The study was conducted in Muea Community, Buea Health District in Fako Division, South West Region of Cameroon. The study participants were made up of parents of children under 5-years of age and who had witnessed convulsion in a child. Respondents who met the inclusion criteria and gave their consent to participate in the study were selected. Data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire made up of both open and closed-ended questions. Data was collected on the knowledge, attitudes, concerns and practices of parents regarding convulsions in children. Data collected was entered using a pre-designed EpiData version 3.1 and data from open-ended questions were analysed using systematic process of thematic analysis. Results A total of 100 respondents participated in the study. The study revealed that more than half of the respondents 53.7% had good knowledge on convulsion, 61.9% of the respondents had positive attitudes towards convulsion and 51.4% of parents had good practices regarding convulsion. This study also revealed that knowledge of convulsion had an association (p=0.05) with gender and marital status but was not dependent (p&gt;0.05) on age and level of school attained. Conclusion The study concluded that even though more than half of the respondents were knowledgeable on convulsion, there is still need for proper parental education as inappropriate attitudes and practices like putting the child’s head in the toilet pit, which can lead to complications are still being practiced.

African Swine Fever: Prevalence, Farm Characteristics, Farmer’s Insight and Attitude toward Reporting of African Swine Fever Cases in the Northwest, West, Littoral and Southwest Regions of Cameroon

The African swine fever virus (ASFV) has been circulating in and ravaging the swine industry in Cameroon for decades. Annual ASFV epidemics occur in Cameroon from April to August. With the absence of vaccines and antiviral drugs against this virus, biosecurity has been the only effective control tool available. When properly applied, biosecurity measures allow control of the spread of ASFV and the eventual eradication of this virus. Many outbreak investigations by PCR were effected in Cameroon, with ASFV prevalences ranging from 15.23% to 42.80%. Considering that pre-outbreak studies are not available for Cameroon, the present study aimed at assessing the status of the animals before an outbreak. A two-stage cluster sampling study was conducted from January to March 2020. In this study, the primary unit was the farm and the secondary unit was the individual animals. In all, 97 farms were visited and 277 samples were collected. Pre-outbreak ASFV prevalence, as assessed by PCR, was 9.75%. In parallel, data were collected using a survey of farm characteristics, awareness and attitude of the farmers toward ASF. The survey results showed that 34.1% of the farms were backyard cemented piggeries with the majority having less than 10 pigs (54.1%). The majority of farmers (90.6%) had heard of and knew about the disease caused by ASF. Though 69.4% of the farmers were uninformed on the clinical signs of ASF, 73.6% of them did treat sick pigs presenting similar clinical signs to ASF (with no risk of mortality) with antibiotics, while 79.4% did not treat but sold the pigs presenting clinical signs similar to ASF with an increased risk of mortality. Sixty-three percent of the farmers had reported a case of ASF in the past and believed that reporting was useful and had no negative consequences on other farmers or third parties. We established that poor implementation of biosecurity measures in addition to poor training are contributing factors to the enzootic nature of ASFV in Cameroon and, thus, the spread of ASFV. Hence, pig farmers in Cameroon must be properly trained in ASFV awareness and the impact thereof on pig production. Furthermore, training will also facilitate the successful implementation of biosecurity measures to contain ASFV outbreaks.

Formulation of Adequate Complementary Food for Children 6–24 Months Using Local Staple Foods in the South-west Region of Cameroon

Background: Malnutrition is still among the leading causes of death in children &lt;5 years, contributing to about 50% of infant deaths in Sub-Saharan Africa. Undernutrition is the more common form of malnutrition in developing countries, and results from insufficient intake of protein and/or energy, and may sometimes result from poor breastfeeding and/or complementary feeding practices. WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of the baby’s life, followed by gradual introduction of complementary foods, with continuous breastfeeding till baby is at least two years. Most babies are not exclusively breastfed for six months, and even more not breastfed till 24 months. Most complementary foods in developing countries are homemade, with plant-based ingredients, using improper processing techniques, making them low in nutrient content.&#x0D; Aims: This work aimed at formulating Complementary foods from ten different proportions of local staples; yellow maize, rice, potatoes, egg whites, soybeans, pawpaw, watermelon, pineapple and oranges, using standard processing techniques.&#x0D; Methodology: The blends (A to J) were formulated and were evaluated for colour, taste, flavor and consistency using nine scaled hedonic point, and the preferred five were evaluated for proximate composition, some vitamins and minerals, functional properties, and for microbes using standard Association of Analytical Chemists (AOAC) methods. The results were statistically analysed using Microsoft excel, SPSS and Graphpad Instat softwares.&#x0D; Results: Results from sensory analysis showed that the preferred formulas were B, H, A, C, G, respectively. Moisture contents ranged from 4.6 - 10.5%, ash content ranged from 2.65 - 3.70%, fibre content ranged from 6.43 - 9.27%, protein content ranged from 17.72 - 37.72%, fat content ranged from 9.5 - 14%, carbohydrate content ranged from 38.74 - 63.58%, and energy content ranged from 394.9Kcal - 433.2Kcal. Micronutrient analysis revealed that all the formulas had no vitamin C, while they had vitamin A contents ranging from 95.85 - 2340IU. Calcium content ranged from 378 - 632mg/100g, iron content ranged from 4.73 - 8.59mg/100g, phosphorous ranged from 109.04 - 136.49mg/100g, and Zinc content ranged from 1.47 - 2.35mg/100g. Magnesium content ranged from 53.32 - 85.19mg/100g, sodium ranged from 2.42 - 189.41mg/100g, while potassium ranged from 319.2 - 728.82mg/100g. For functional properties, water absorption and oil absorption capacities ranged from 1.5 - 4.4 and 1.5 - 1.95 respectively, Loose and packaged bulk densities ranged from 0.51 - 0.54 and 0.78 - 0.92 respectively. The swelling index ranged from 1.03 - 1.11, foaming capacity and foam stability ranged from 2.0 - 18.0 and 0.0 - 0.7 respectively, while the dispersibilities ranged from 52.5 - 92.5%. Microbial analysis revealed that none of the formulas contained yeast, C had no coliform while formula B had highest coliform (620 CFUs), while C had highest TBC (31000CFUs).&#x0D; Conclusion: Formula C, with sweet potatoes as main starch source, looked most promising as a complementary food.

Teachers’ Competence and the Development of Thinking Skills in Primary School Pupils in the South West Region of Cameroon

Teachers’ Competence and the Development of Thinking Skills in Primary School Pupils in the South West Region of Cameroon

Mobile clinics in conflict-affected communities of North West and South West regions of Cameroon: an alternative option for differentiated delivery service for internally displaced persons during COVID-19

IntroductionThe guidelines for differentiated service delivery (DSD) for HIV treatment became operational in Cameroon in 2017 with the Test and Treat national strategy elaborating services that can be decentralized and task shifted at community level, but with little to no guidelines for DSD in fragile and conflict-affected settings. Since 2016, more than 680,000 Cameroonians have been internally displaced due to the conflict in the North West and South West regions (NWSW). This conflict has impacted on the health system with numerous attacks on health facilities and staff, reducing access to health care for internally displaced persons. The outbreak of COVID-19 further reduced humanitarian responses for fear of spreading COVID-19. Mobile clinics were utilized as a model of care in piloting DSD for HIV in conflict-affected settings within the COVID-19 context.MethodsThe HIV DSD framework was used to evaluate a project that used mobile clinics in 05 divisions across the NWSW to provide primary health care to internally displaced persons in hard-to-reach areas. These mobile clinics were operated in the COVID-19 context and integrated HIV services in the benefit package. The mobile clinics mainstreamed HIV and COVID-19 sensitization during community mobilization, HIV consultations, HIV testing and referrals, and in some cases antiretroviral (ARV) dispensation. The project ran from March to October 2020. The results from the evaluation of this model of HIV care delivery were analysed in 06 of 08 mobile clinics.ResultsIn 07 months, a total of 14,623 persons living in conflict-affected settings were sensitized on HIV, 1979 received HIV testing from which 122 were positive and 33 placed on ARVs. 28 loss-to-follow up people living with HIV were relinked to treatment and 209 consultations for persons living with HIV were conducted. Despite the good collaboration at regional and field level, there was distrust by ARV centers for humanitarian organizations.ConclusionMobile clinics are a model of care which could be leveraged in fragile and conflict-affected settings as an alternative model of care for HIV DSD to ensure continuum of HIV care and treatment. However this should be integrated within the benefit package of primary health care services offered by mobile clinics.

Immune response to hepatitis B vaccine following complete immunization of children attending two regional hospitals in the Southwest region of Cameroon: a cross sectional study

BackgroundHepatitis B virus (HBV) infection despite being a vaccine preventable disease remains a global public health problem. In Cameroon, the hepatitis B vaccine was introduced in the expanded program on immunisation in 2005, but there has been limited evaluation of the HBV surface antibody response post vaccination.ObjectiveWe investigated the immune response to hepatitis B vaccine in infants who received the DPT-Hep B-Hib vaccine, and we assessed HBsAg carriage in non-responders. We also investigated factors associated with non-response or poor response.MethodsUsing a hospital based cross sectional design and a structured questionnaire over a four-month period (January to April 2019), we collected data to determine factors associated with hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBs) response from infants aged 6 to 9 months attending infant welfare clinics (IWC) at the Buea and Limbe regional hospitals. We collected venous blood and measured anti-HBs titres using a quantitative Foresight® ELISA. We entered and analysed data using EpiData version 3.1 and SPSS version 25 respectively.ResultsOf the 161 infants enrolled, 159 (98.8%) developed anti-HBs antibodies. Of these 159, 157 (97.5%) and 117 (72.7%) developed ≥ 10.0 mIU/ml (seroprotection) and ≥ 100.0 mIU/ml anti-HBs titres respectively. Being younger (6 months old) was associated with seroprotection (Cramer V = 0.322, p = 0.001). Spearman rho’s relational analysis showed that immunity against HBV reduced as the duration since the last dose increased (r = −0.172; P = 0.029). However, a Firth logistic regression showed no significant association of factors with inadequate immunity. All 12 (7.5%) infants exposed to HBV at birth, received the hepatitis B vaccine at birth, including four who received HBIG, and all were protected. Four infants (2.5%) had anti-HBs titres < 10.0 mIU/mL (non-responders) but had no peculiarity.ConclusionThe seroprotective rate following hepatitis B vaccination of infants is high even in exposed infants. Our study suggests that Cameroon’s HBV vaccine in the Expanded Program on Immunisation (EPI) is effective against HBV, although we could not account for the 2.5% non-response rate. Large scale studies are needed to further explore non-response to the vaccine.