A nurse administers a dose of vaccine against malaria to a child at a district hospital in Soa, Cameroon, on April 17, 2024. Almost the entire population of Cameroon, over 27 million people, are at risk of malaria, a daunting health challenge that is particularly devastating for pregnant women and young children in the central African country. In 2022 alone, according to the World Health Organization, Cameroon recorded more than 6.4 million cases of the disease and over malaria-related 12,500 deaths. China is sharing its experience in malaria prevention and control with Cameroon and contributing to the fight against malaria. China has dispatched medical teams and professionals to Cameroon since 1975, serving locals and improving local health services. (Xinhua/Kepseu)
YAOUNDE, April 25 (Xinhua) -- In Soa, a town about 20 kilometers north of Cameroon's capital city, Yaounde, malaria is endemic.
"We are constantly sick, me, the children and their father. All of us live with malaria," said Arlette Diane Miafo Zeuna, a Soa native.
Like Zeuna, almost the entire population of Cameroon, over 27 million people, are at risk of malaria, a daunting health challenge that is particularly devastating for pregnant women and young children in the central African country.
In 2022 alone, according to the World Health Organization, Cameroon recorded more than 6.4 million cases of the disease and over malaria-related 12,500 deaths.
Cameroon wants to create multiple layers of protection against malaria and work closely with partners to develop, invest in and deploy new tools and innovations, said Paul Onambele, a public health expert who heads the Health District of Soa.
"We have other partners in the fight against malaria, but China is particularly welcomed," he said. "We have very good cooperation with China."
Thanks to a scholarship, he received public health training at Peking University in China, which eliminated malaria after decades of efforts, and the valuable experience could provide innovative pathways for Cameroon, Onambele said.
"What happened in China was like a miracle. Malaria was once rampant in China, and China managed to cut down the annual number of malaria infections from about 30 million in the 1940s to zero in 2017," he said. "We draw a lot of inspiration from the Chinese health system... It puts community and its involvement at the center of its operations."
China is sharing its experience in malaria prevention and control with Cameroon and contributing to the fight against malaria, said Jerry Afanda, an epidemiologist at Cameroon's St. Louis Health Institute.
China has dispatched medical teams and professionals to Cameroon since 1975, serving locals and improving local health services. "These efforts have led to a significant reduction in malaria prevalence rates," Afanda said.
He called for more cooperation, especially in the fight against malaria. "Cameroonian specialists can travel to China to discover and learn from the successes of the fight against the disease."
Ita Ebot, another public health specialist, pointed to China's approach to malaria prevention and control, which emphasizes the importance of eliminating the source of infection and controlling the spread of the disease, with the help of traditional Chinese medicine.
"This approach is based on the principles of traditional Chinese medicine, which prioritizes addressing the root cause of an illness rather than just treating the symptoms," Ebot said. "This is something we badly need in malaria treatment in Cameroon, and China can come to our aid."
The Cameroonian government, with support from partners and friendly countries, is rolling out malaria vaccination, mosquito nets, preventive treatment for young children and pregnant women, as well as community-based testing and treatment services to tame the disease.
"These methods have helped us cut mortality rates," said Jean Fosso, deputy permanent secretary of the National Malaria Control Program in the Ministry of Public Health.
Cameroon wants to be at the forefront of harnessing the latest lifesaving tools to fight back, and build on progress made over the last decade in malaria prevention and control, but it lacks "badly needed" resources, Fosso said.
"With more investment, Cameroon will be on the right path to control and eventually eliminate malaria. Our main difficulty now is mobilizing financial resources," Fosso said. ■
A nurse prepares a dose of vaccine against malaria at a district hospital in Soa, Cameroon, on April 17, 2024. Almost the entire population of Cameroon, over 27 million people, are at risk of malaria, a daunting health challenge that is particularly devastating for pregnant women and young children in the central African country. In 2022 alone, according to the World Health Organization, Cameroon recorded more than 6.4 million cases of the disease and over malaria-related 12,500 deaths. China is sharing its experience in malaria prevention and control with Cameroon and contributing to the fight against malaria. China has dispatched medical teams and professionals to Cameroon since 1975, serving locals and improving local health services. (Xinhua/Kepseu)
Arlette Diane Miafo Zeuna (L), a Soa native, drinks traditional anti-malaria drink in Ebang, a neighborhood in the commune of Soa, Cameroon, on April 17, 2024. Almost the entire population of Cameroon, over 27 million people, are at risk of malaria, a daunting health challenge that is particularly devastating for pregnant women and young children in the central African country. In 2022 alone, according to the World Health Organization, Cameroon recorded more than 6.4 million cases of the disease and over malaria-related 12,500 deaths. China is sharing its experience in malaria prevention and control with Cameroon and contributing to the fight against malaria. China has dispatched medical teams and professionals to Cameroon since 1975, serving locals and improving local health services. (Xinhua/Kepseu)
A nurse prepares a dose of vaccine against malaria at a district hospital in Soa, Cameroon, on April 17, 2024. Almost the entire population of Cameroon, over 27 million people, are at risk of malaria, a daunting health challenge that is particularly devastating for pregnant women and young children in the central African country. In 2022 alone, according to the World Health Organization, Cameroon recorded more than 6.4 million cases of the disease and over malaria-related 12,500 deaths. China is sharing its experience in malaria prevention and control with Cameroon and contributing to the fight against malaria. China has dispatched medical teams and professionals to Cameroon since 1975, serving locals and improving local health services. (Xinhua/Kepseu)
People wait to have their children vaccinated against malaria at a district hospital in Soa, Cameroon, on April 17 2024. Almost the entire population of Cameroon, over 27 million people, are at risk of malaria, a daunting health challenge that is particularly devastating for pregnant women and young children in the central African country. In 2022 alone, according to the World Health Organization, Cameroon recorded more than 6.4 million cases of the disease and over malaria-related 12,500 deaths. China is sharing its experience in malaria prevention and control with Cameroon and contributing to the fight against malaria. China has dispatched medical teams and professionals to Cameroon since 1975, serving locals and improving local health services. (Xinhua/Kepseu)
Arlette Diane Miafo Zeuna (R), a Soa native, hangs a mosquito net impregnated with insecticide to protect her children against malaria in Ebang, a neighborhood in the commune of Soa, Cameroon, on April 17, 2024. Almost the entire population of Cameroon, over 27 million people, are at risk of malaria, a daunting health challenge that is particularly devastating for pregnant women and young children in the central African country. In 2022 alone, according to the World Health Organization, Cameroon recorded more than 6.4 million cases of the disease and over malaria-related 12,500 deaths. China is sharing its experience in malaria prevention and control with Cameroon and contributing to the fight against malaria. China has dispatched medical teams and professionals to Cameroon since 1975, serving locals and improving local health services. (Xinhua/Kepseu)
Paul Onambele (R), a public health expert who heads the Health District of Soa, talks with nurses in the hospital hall in Soa, Cameroon, on April 17, 2024. Almost the entire population of Cameroon, over 27 million people, are at risk of malaria, a daunting health challenge that is particularly devastating for pregnant women and young children in the central African country. In 2022 alone, according to the World Health Organization, Cameroon recorded more than 6.4 million cases of the disease and over malaria-related 12,500 deaths. China is sharing its experience in malaria prevention and control with Cameroon and contributing to the fight against malaria. China has dispatched medical teams and professionals to Cameroon since 1975, serving locals and improving local health services. (Xinhua/Kepseu)
