West Cameroon Research Articles

Ethnomedicinal Study of Plants Used for Treatment of Diabetes, Hypertension and Cardiovascular Ailments in Fokoue and Santchou Subdivisions, Menoua Division of West Cameroon

Background: In Cameroon, numerous people rely on medicinal plants and possess knowledge on the use of these plants. Plant knowledge from indigenous people is rapidly disappearing due to environmental, social and economic pressure, processes and changes. In view of this, ethnobotanical studies have been carried out in the area where medicinal plants are the main source of health care in order to preserve traditional knowledge of plant use. This study aims to document and quantify medicinal plant knowledge on the treatment of diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular ailments in Fokoue and Santchou subdivisions of Menoua Division, West Cameroon.
 Methods: Information related to medicinal plant species and plant remedies was collected through semi-structured interviews with 34 informants accompanied by homegarden sampling, walk-in-the-woods and snowball sampling. Quantitative methods were used to determine cultural importance index, relative frequency of citation and fidelity level which represent informants’ consensus.
 Results: A total of 49 medicinal plant species representing 26 different botanical families were recorded in Fokoue and Santchou subdivisions of Menoua Division, West Cameroon. Most-cited plant families were Acanthaceae, Amaryllidaceae, Apocynaceae, Asteraceae, Lamiaceae, Poaceae and Rhamnaceae. Plant species Allium sativum, Aloe vera, Asystasia spp., Cymbopogon citratus, Gouania spp., Persea americana, Sonchus oleraceus and Vernonia amygdalina were considered as relatively important plants for treating diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular ailments.
 Conclusions: The study indicated the unique knowledge of medicinal plants used for treating diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular ailments in Fokoue and Santchou subdivisions. Our findings not only confirm uses of medicinal plants documented elsewhere, but also add interesting new information that should be confirmed through formal biochemical analysis and clinical trials.

Phytochemical Analysis of Some Medicinal Plants Used for the Management of Reproductive Health Care Problems in the West Region in Cameroon

Reproductive diseases are conditions that negatively affects human reproductive systems in many countries. Indeed this study was carried out to analyse chemical constituents of some medicinal plants used to treat reproductive organs, diseases in Bamboutos division, West of Cameroon. 45 plants samples were collected from their natural habitats in some villages of the above cited division. Study was conducted according to standard procedures in the laboratory of Organic Chemistry and Natural Substances of the University of Dschang. Polyphenols were revealed in all screening medicinal plant extracts, while, flavonoids were found in most of the studied plant extracts except for those obtained from Dioscorea dumetorum. Triterpens were present in 40 plants, saponins and sterols were respectively found in 33 and 32 plants ; whereas, alkaloids were only present in 15 plants.This work showed that the plants used to alleviate human reproductive ailments in some locality of the West Region in Cameroon are rich in bioactive compounds. These compounds are known to manage human reproductive diseases. Therefore, this finding supported the uses of these plant species for the treatment of human reproductive diseases. Furthermore, appropriate conservation of such valuable medicinal plant species is required.

Relationships between Physico-Chemical Parameters and Taxonomic Structure of Benthic Macroinvertebrate Assemblages in Streams of West Cameroon

Tropical rivers are strongly influenced by stormwaters, pollutants and agro-pastoral activities. These systems are no longer able to maintain their native biota. Therefore, it seems important to understand how biological assemblages are driven by environmental gradients at different spatial scales. However, information on the relationships between the distribution of aquatic macroinvertebrates and environmental variables remains scarce in Cameroon. To improve our knowledge on the drivers of such distributions, a study was carried out at 11 contrasted sites from three catchments located in West Cameroon. This study aimed at understanding the spatio-temporal variations of 19 taxonomic metrics calculated for the benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages of these sites sampled during 13 months, concurrently with physico-chemical analyses of water quality. Two hundred and twelve taxa were caught. Diptera(rf-S), Shannon-Wiener diversity, 1–GOLD, total richness, Pielou evenness and Heteroptera(rf-S) revealed their high ability to respond to anthropogenic pressures or disturbances. Conductivity, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, nitrates, total hardness and alkalinity were identified as the main physico-chemical drivers of the taxonomic structure of benthic assemblages. These results will allow further exploration of the implementation of a tool for monitoring the ecological quality of West Cameroon rivers.

Dengue and Chikungunya virus circulation in Cameroon and Gabon: molecular evidence among symptomatic individuals.

We report the molecular evidence of dengue virus (DENV) and chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection in symptomatic individuals in Cameroon and Gabon, respectively. Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) are distributed in the tropical or subtropical regions, with DENV having the highest burden. The morbidity and mortality related to arboviral diseases raise the concern of timely and efficient surveillance and care. Our aim was to assess the circulation of arboviruses [DENV, CHIKV, Zika virus (ZIKV)] among febrile patients in Dschang (West Cameroon) and Kyé-ossi (South Cameroon, border with Gabon and Equatorial Guinea). Dried blood spots were collected from 601 consenting febrile patients, and 194 Plasmodium spp.-negative samples were tested for the molecular detection of cases of DENV, CHIKV and ZIKV infection. Overall, no case of ZIKV infection was found, whereas one case of DENV infection and one case of CHIKV infection were detected in Dschang and Kyé-ossi, respectively, with the CHIKV-infected patient being resident in Gabon. Our findings suggest the need to establish an active surveillance of arbovirus transmission in Cameroon and bordering countries.

Training, Supervision, and Competence Assessment of Cameroonian Health Care Providers Using HPV Self-Sampling, Triage by Visual Inspection, and Treatment by Thermal Ablation in a Single Visit

BackgroundDeveloping human resource capacity and efficient deployment of skilled personnel are essential for cervical cancer screening program implementation in resource-limited countries. Our aim was to provide a context-specific training framework, supervision, and effectiveness evaluation of health care providers in a cervical cancer screening program.MethodsA 5-year cervical cancer screening program was implemented in Dschang, West Cameroon. Women were invited to perform human papillomavirus self-sampling (Self-HPV), followed by triage using visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) and thermal ablation if needed. Health care providers were trained in four key learning phases to perform counseling, screening, and treatment process in a single visit. Training included (i) a 3-day basic course, (ii) 3-day advanced practical training, (iii) 2 weeks of supervision, and (iv) bi-monthly supervision by a mentor. The diagnostic performance of health care providers was compared between two time periods, period I (September 2018 to April 2019) and period II (May 2019 to January 2020), for an overall 17-month study period.ResultsFourteen health care providers were recruited for the training course and 12 of them completed the training objectives. Follow-up and evaluations were conducted for three health care providers working in the screening unit at Dschang District Hospital. During the study period, 1,609 women performed Self-HPV, among which 759 were screened during period I and 850 during period II. HPV positivity was 18.2 and 17.1%, and VIA positivity was 45.7 and 71.0% in period I and II, respectively. VIA sensitivity was 60.0% (95% confidence interval [CI] 26.2–87.8) and 80.8% (95% CI 60.6–93.4) in period I and II, respectively (p = 0.390). VIA specificity decreased between period I (57.4, 95% CI 48.1–66.3) and II (30.8, 95% CI 22.6–40.0) (p < 0.001). Health care providers demonstrated substantial agreement with their mentor in their diagnoses during both periods (period I: Cohen's kappa coefficient [k] = 0.73, 95% CI 0.62–0.85, and period II: k = 0.62 0.47–0.76; p = 0.0549).DiscussionTraining, supervision, and a focus on effectiveness in cervical cancer screening are interventions that contribute to improving frontline provider competencies and maintaining a high quality of health care service delivery.

Tracking Demographic Movements and Immunization Status to Improve Children's Access to Immunization: Field-Based Randomized Controlled Trial.

BackgroundCountries’ Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) contribute to the reduction of mortality and morbidity, but access to these vaccines remains limited in most low-income countries.ObjectiveWe aim to assess whether involving community volunteers (CVs) to track children’s vaccination status and demographic movements and using recorded data to plan catch-up immunization sessions can improve children’s vaccination timeliness, completeness, and coverage.MethodsThis was a field-based randomized controlled trial and communities of the Foumban health district in West Cameroon were allocated to intervention or control groups. In the intervention group, a CV per community was trained to visit households monthly for a year to assess and record in a register, details of EPI-targeted children, their demographic movements and immunization status. The scanned recorded pages were sent to the health center immunization team through WhatsApp and used to organize monthly community catch-up immunization sessions. In the control group, EPI vaccination sessions were routinely conducted. Surveys were conducted at 6 and 12 months from the beginning of the intervention in both study groups to assess and compare immunization timeliness, coverage, and completeness.ResultsOverall, 30 buildings per cluster were surveyed at midline and endline. Of the 633 and 729 visited households in the intervention group at midline and endline, 630 (99.5%) and 718 (98.4%), respectively, consented to participate. In the control group, 507 and 651 households were visited and 505 (99.6%) and 636 (97.7%), respectively, consented to participate. At 12 months intervention, the month one timeliness of bacille Calmette–Guerin (BCG) vaccine did not increase in the intervention group compared with the control group for the age groups 0-11 months (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.1, 95% CI 0.7-1.8) and 0-59 months (aOR 1.1, 95% CI 0.9-1.4), and significantly increased for the first-year BCG vaccine administration for the age group 0-23 months (aOR 1.5, 95% CI 1.1-2.2). The coverage of diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus and hepatitis B+Hemophilus influenzae type B (DPT-Hi +Hb) dose 3 (aOR 2.0, 95% CI 1.5-2.7) and of DPT-Hi+Hb dose 1 (aOR 1.8, 95% CI 1.4-2.4) vaccines increased significantly in the intervention group compared with the control group in the age groups 12-59 months and 12-23 months, respectively. Specific (DPT-Hi+Hb dose 1 to DPT-Hi+Hb dose 3: aOR 1.9, 95% CI 1.4-2.6) and general (BCG to measles: aOR 1.5, 95% CI 1.1-2.1) vaccine completeness increased significantly in the intervention group compared with the control group.ConclusionsFindings support that involving CVs to track children’s vaccination status and demographic movements and using recorded data to plan catch-up immunization sessions improve children’s vaccination timeliness, completeness, and coverage. This strategy should be adopted to improve access to vaccination for EPI target populations and the consistency verified in other contexts.Trial RegistrationPan African Clinical Trials Registry PACTR201808527428720; https://pactr.samrc.ac.za/TrialDisplay.aspx?TrialID=3548

Forest-Culture Relationship in NSO and Mbiame Fondoms: Case of the Montane Forests of Ngongbaa, Kovifem and Kovkinkar, North West Cameroon

Forest-Culture Relationship in NSO and Mbiame Fondoms: Case of the Montane Forests of Ngongbaa, Kovifem and Kovkinkar, North West Cameroon

Effects of coffee husk and cocoa pods biochar on the chemical properties of an acid soil from West Cameroon

ABSTRACT Evaluation of liming and fertility properties of biochar on acid soil was studied in this work. Selected soil properties such as pH, electrical conductivity (EC), exchangeable acidity (Ex Ac), exchangeable Al (Ex Al), exchangeable Fe (Ex Fe), available P and, soil organic carbon (SOC) were examined under the effect of biochar amendments. The acid soil was treated with biochar issued from coffee husk (CH) and cocoa pods (CP) pyrolyzed at 350°C and 550°C for 4 hours at amendment rate of 0, 20, 40 and 80 g kg−1 and an incubation time of 7, 14, 30, 40 and 60 d. Biochar amendments significantly increased soil pH, soil EC with respect to control and decrease in exchangeable acidity was observed. Results show that biochar improved available P in acid soil, though re-adsorption occurred with increasing incubation time. A significant increase in SOC is observed as compared to control. The impact of biochar on these acid soil chemical properties is due to the properties which are dependent on the biochar type and pyrolysis temperature. Thus, biochar can play the dual role of a liming agent and a source of P fertilizer nutrients.

COVID-19 and the Non-Repayment of Agricultural Loans in West Cameroon: A major Challenge for the Small Farmer in an Individual Loan Situation

This study raises the problem of the non-repayment of agricultural credits by producers who are members of the Community Growth Mutual (MC2), in this period of COVID-19. It questions the economic mores in force in most member countries of the Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa (OHADA), where credit has become difficult for small rural farmers; And refers to the theory of the vicious circle of poverty, which advocates an indispensable recourse to foreign capital in the event of financial breakdown, as a means of increasing capital. Since the capital of rural producers remains insufficient and their possibility of reinvestment decreases, then becomes zero because of agricultural credit. To understand the factors of the non-repayment of these credits, data were collected from 100 agro-sylvo-pastoral producers of the Bayangam group (West-Cameroon) of both sexes, aged at least 18 years, having obtained an unpaid credit from the MC2 since 2019, and a manager of this microfinance institution. After analysis, it appears that beyond overproduction and anti-COVID-19 measures that lead to the missale or fall in prices on the market, the conditions of access to credit, the non-possession of acceptable guarantees, the misuse of the object of credit and the practice of financial cavalry by the borrower, as well as the rigidity of the procedures for prosecuting debtors significantly explain this non-repayment. It is associated with determinants such as age, level of education, marital status, type of agricultural activity of the debtor. Hence the need for flexibility of microfinance institutions vis-à-vis rural agro-sylvo-pastoral producers, who are severely affected by the economic shock of the COVID-19.

Natural Clay Modified with ZnO/TiO2 to Enhance Pollutant Removal from Water

Raw clays, extracted from Bana, west Cameroon, were modified with semiconductors (TiO2 and ZnO) in order to improve their depollution properties with the addition of photocatalytic properties. Cu2+ ions were also added to the clay by ionic exchange to increase the specific surface area. This insertion of Cu was confirmed by ICP-AES. The presence of TiO2 and ZnO was confirmed by the detection of anatase and wurzite, respectively, using X-ray diffraction. The composite clays showed increased specific surface areas. The adsorption property of the raw clays was evaluated on two pollutants, i.e., fluorescein (FL) and p-nitrophenol (PNP). The experiments showed that the raw clays can adsorb FL but are not efficient for PNP. To demonstrate the photocatalytic property given by the added semiconductors, photocatalytic experiments were performed under UVA light on PNP. These experiments showed degradation up to 90% after 8 h of exposure with the best ZnO-modified clay. The proposed treatment of raw clays seems promising to treat pollutants, especially in developing countries.

5 - Feminist Activism, Economic Carte Blanche, Political Control, Symbol and Symbolism: A Historical Interpretation of the Kelu Women Revolution in Bu-Cameroon, 1957-59

The centrality of women in the opposition of male domination and subjugation in colonial Africa was a fall out of decolonisation which quickened after World War II. Within this epoch, the Laimbwe women of Bu in North West Cameroon launched a virulent attack on men and their institutions. The intention was to achieve economic freedom and political control. An effective mechanism of operation, using traditional bodily symbols, was put in place and the result was a neutralisation of the overbearing and imposing influence of men and their institutions respectively.

6 - The National Produce Marketing Board in Cameroon, 1978–91: An Analysis of its Origin, Performance and Collapse

The operation of African export monopoly boards has been one of the intensively debated topics in the statutory marketing of agricultural produce. Following the reunification of the two Cameroons in October 1961, two agricultural boards were put in place to prevent the exploitation of farmers by freelance produce buyers. Against this backdrop, between 1961 and 1976, two produce boards emerged, the West Cameroon Marketing Board in West Cameroon and the Caisses de Stabilisation in East Cameroon, to control and stabilize the prices of agricultural produce. These boards merged in 1976, leading to the creation of the National Produce Marketing Board (NPMB). This article focuses on the rise, performance and collapse of the NPMB and the significance for produce marketing for the Cameroonian economy. It provides insight into the historical origins of the board, scope, activities, performance and the eventual collapse and liquidation of the National Produce Marketing Board in 1991. It highlights the fate of the coffee and cocoa sector by examining the implications of structural adjustment programmes on the activities of the National Produce Marketing Board.

Geotechnical soil mapping from electrical and mechanical properties: Case study of the Bafoussam urban area, west Cameroon

Preliminary work in civil engineering works often involves the investigation of soil support in order to secure or predict project safety. The objective of this work is to purpose an urban geotechnical soil map combining physical and mechanical behaviour of the soil and its electrical properties. Field work with auger corer allowed collection of samples for analysis. The results of the Atterberg limits and particle size analysis enabled classification of those soils according to HRB as silty or clayey gravels and sands (class A-2-7) and clayey soils (A-7-5). The Casagrande Plasticity Diagram classifies them as At and Lt (very plastic clays and silts) and the GTR classifies them as sandy and gravelly soils with fines (B6) and fine clay soils (A2 and A3). These classifications show that the study area is mainly covered by sandy-clay, lateritic clay and lateritic gravelly soils. The iso-resistivity maps and resistivity sections made from the results of vertical electrical soundings, allow the identification of three ranges of resistivity: a low resistivity less than 300 Ώ.m, a medium resistivity range between 300 and 500 Ώ.m and a high resistivity greater than 500 Ώ.m. These ranges of resistivity correspond to the different formation disparities that make up the subsurface. Associated penetrograms show these soils are very resistive in the cuirass subsurface zones with very compact formations with permissible stress values between 2.5 and 5.2 bars. At greater depths, these values are moderate in the clayey sands with stresses between 0.8 and 3 bars and low in the clays and lateritic soils (˂1 bar). The application of determination coefficient (R2) and Spearman correlation (rs) between permissible stress and true resistivity gives values of 0.79 and 0.74 respectively. There is a good qualitative and quantitative correlation between these two parameters in the study area. The superimposition and comparison of the different results with the geological formations enables development of a geotechnical soil map. This map enables us to understand the lithological and mechanical heterogeneity of the soils during the construction of structures in the urban perimeter of Bafoussam.

Comparative analysis of a hybrid Photovoltaic-Water Thermal solar system using monocrystalline, polycrystalline and amorphous silicon solar modules

The proposed work consists of a comparative analysis of a model of a hybrid solar PV/T waterborne system using monocrystalline, polycrystalline and amorphous silicon solar modules. In this work, we have highlighted that the design of a PV/T waterborne system depends on the type of solar module. We have chosen on the market the polycrystalline / monocrystalline silicon solar modules with a power of 100Wc each and 60Wc for the amorphous. Behind each solar module is glued a coil exchanger of respective dimensions: 22m, 32m length and 12 mm diameter for water circulation. The prototypes of the water PVTs as well as their control modules have been realized in the west of Cameroon. Tests were conducted and the data collected led us to optimize the production of the solar photovoltaic modules. We obtained an average daily electrical energy gain of 10.7% or 10.7Wc (mono-crystalline); 13.9% or 13.9Wc (polycrystalline) and 0.97% or 1.62Wc (amorphous) compared to conventional solar panels. For the thermal side, we obtained an average daily thermal power of 214.944 W or 4 liters of hot water (37°C) for the monocrystalline panel; 298.35 W or 5,6 liters of hot water (44.5°C) for the polycrystalline module and 304,57 W or 13.78 liters of hot water (48.6°C) for the amorphous. These tests were made on an average sunshine of 835.51W/m2 between 7h30 min and 15h30 min. The analysis comparison of the developed models shows us that the PVT with poly water has a better electrical output followed by the mono then the amorphous and the PVT with amorphous water has a better thermal output followed by the poly and the mono. This approach allowed us to recover a quantity of the electrical power of the modules lost by Joule effect while determining the quantity of hot water that can be produced by a PV module

Effect of the Site and the Type of Fertilizer on the Taxonomic Composition and Abundance of Phytoplankton Population of Ponds in West Cameroon

Pond fertilization is an age-old practice aimed at optimizing yields in so-called production fish farming systems. With this in mind, a characterization study of phytoplankton, the basis of the trophic food chain leading to fish, was conducted from January to December 2021 in ponds in the West Cameroon regionand at the Research Unit of Ichthyology and Applied Hydrobiology of the University of Dschang. To do this, a total of fifteen (15) ponds including 03 in Bamendou fertilized with cowpat, 04 in Batie including 02 fertilized with pig manure and 02 with wheat bran, 01 in Dschang fertilized with chicken manure, 04 in Fokoue including 02 fertilized with pig manure and 02 unfertilized and 03 in Foumbot fertilized with cowpat, were considered. These ponds were chosen based on the availability of fish farmers and the type of fertilizer administered. Sampling of biotic characteristics including phytoplankton richness, relative abundance and density was done between 6 and 8 a.m. following a monthly frequency. The results showed that the highest specific richness (42.73% of total species richness) was observed in Batie ponds fertilized with pig manure and generic richness (81.53% of total genera richness) and families (84.21% oftotal of families richness) highest phytoplankton in Batie ponds fertilized with wheat bran. Regardless of the type of pond, Chlorophyta were more abundant (40.50%). With the exception of Chrysophyta who were absent in the ponds of Foumbot fertilized with cowpat, all other groups were listed in the different types of ponds. The significantly (p&lt;0.05) highest phytoplankton density (71. 107 ind/L) was observed in ponds fertilized with chicken manure with high concentrations of nitrates and nitrites.

Mineralogical Evaluation of Tertiary Age Weathered Materials from the Bana Complex (West Cameroon): Industrial Application

Mineralogical Evaluation of Tertiary Age Weathered Materials from the Bana Complex (West Cameroon): Industrial Application

Physico-Mechanical Properties of Metakaolin and Lime Mixture as Binder Case of Balengou Clay in West Cameroon and Figuil Lime in Northen Cameroon

Physico-Mechanical Properties of Metakaolin and Lime Mixture as Binder Case of Balengou Clay in West Cameroon and Figuil Lime in Northen Cameroon

Physicochemical, Bacteriological and Parasitological Quality of Water Used to Wash Vegetables in Dschang, West Cameroon: Health Risk Assessment

The quality of water used for the cleaning fresh vegetables sold in Cameroonian cities is of little concern. The objective of this study was to determine the health risk associated with the water use for washing fruits and vegetables in the city of Dschang, in order to help develop strategies for the control waterborne diseases in Cameroon in general and in Dschang in particular. After a survey of 75 vegetable vendors in the Dschang market, 40 samples of washing water, 20 per season, were collected randomly throughout the main market in the city of Dschang. Physicochemical, bacteriological and parasitological analyses were carried out according to standard methods. Regardless of the season, bacteria indicative of faecal contamination were detected in the water used for washing fresh vegetables, with levels ranging from 0 to 8×10⁴ CFU/100ml for <i>Escherichia. coli</i>, from 1.8×10⁴ to 1.8×10⁸ CFU/100ml for faecal coliforms, from 3×10⁴ to 7.2×10⁸ CFU/100ml for <i>Salmonella</i> spp., from 30 to 1.3×10⁷ CFU/100ml for <i>Shigella</i> spp. and 20 to 7.5×10⁵ CFU/100ml for faecal streptococci. <i>Ascaris</i> spp. eggs, <i>Entamoeba</i> spp. cysts and nematode larvae were detected in vegetable washing water, with a prevalence of 40%. Consumers of fresh vegetables washing by these waters, if raw and poorly washed, are at risk of bloody diarrhoea, gastroenteritis, typhoid and paratyphoid fever or inflammation of the colon tissue and severe necrosis. The authorities should introduce food hygiene in the markets as part of the strategies to combat waterborne diseases in this city. This solution is also valid for other cities in Cameroun.

Social Contributions of Indigenous Entrepreneurs in the North West and South West Regions Coterminous with West Cameroon, 1962-2016

Social Contributions of Indigenous Entrepreneurs in the North West and South West Regions Coterminous with West Cameroon, 1962-2016

Impact of Soil Treatment by Addition of Cement on the California Baring Ratio: Case of Bamendou in West Region Cameroon

Impact of Soil Treatment by Addition of Cement on the California Baring Ratio: Case of Bamendou in West Region Cameroon