CAMEROON MONTHLY UPDATES, February 2008
30 April 2008
1. Malaria Press Club: The Treatment of Malaria”
The Malaria Press Club activity for this month took place on Feb 14th 2008 and had as theme “The Treatment of Malaria”. This theme which was selected to give another opportunity for wider discussion with the journalist of this important topic concerning the general public was aimed to provide information which the journalists would then transmit to the general public for their benefit. Its importance was to highlight the new malaria treatment for uncomplicated malaria made up of Artemisinin Combination Therapy, and advice the general public to seek for the right treatment promptly when the symptoms of malaria begin.
The guest speaker was the Permanent Secretary of the National Malaria Control Program, Dr Raphael Okalla who was accompanied by some of his colleagues from the programme. He situated the audience within the context of the new treatment and answered their questions to provide clarification on issues related to the new treatment.
He also delved into the initiation of home-based management of malaria, which is adopted as a policy in Cameroon and has been initiated through the training of the community relays who once provided with initial stocks of medications and rapid tests will be able to diagnose and treat malaria adequately and promptly. CCAM took part in the training of community relays by supervising the activity in the Litoral Province last year.
Uncomplicated malaria is treated today in Cameroon with Amodiaquin/Artemisinin or Lumifanthrine/Arthermither. The proposed kit for home-based management of malaria include among others, the ACT and rapid test kit for malaria.
2. Planning meeting for the distribution of free ITNs February 7-8, Douala
In the month of February 2008, the MOH through the NMCP convened a meeting of partners to discuss and agree on the strategy and modalities in the distribution of free ITNs to households with children aged under 5 years in the North West, Centre, Littoral and West Provinces of Cameroon. CCAM participated at this meeting in which it was agreed that ITN distribution outside vaccination campaigns in these provinces will use the voucher method. Community representatives will be trained on the approach, provided with vouchers which they will distribute to households in their localities, one voucher per household with one or more child(ren) aged under 5 years. Soon after, the household heads will present the voucher at the distribution point of their locality and collect and ITN against each voucher. It is expected that every household will be covered using this approach.
3. Preparation for the first World Malaria Day celebration
CCAM with partners initiated reflections to start preparing for the celebration of the first World Malaria Day in Cameroon. Among others, children from schools in towns and rural areas will be mobilised for malaria through sketches, poems, drawings, etc. They will be invited to participate in a competition in which the best schools to depict their understanding of malaria its impact and elements of its control, will perform to a wider audience with the aim to raise awareness among their peers. A media plan was discussed and it was agreed all media, both public and private will be invited to participate. A micro-program on malaria aimed at provoking personal responsibility in the fight against malaria will be produced and broadcast during the celebration of the WMD 2008. These and more ideas are in the process of being developed while engaging partnership to ensure its success.
4. Central Africa Roll Back Malaria Network (CARN) first quarter Meeting Feb 25-28, 2008
The Central Africa Roll Back Malaria Network first quarter meeting scheduled to hold at Kinshasa was moved to Douala following a UN security ruling which was unfavourable for such a meeting to hold there. Unfortunately this meeting took place in Douala in the heart of the unrest mentioned above. Luckily the participants were able to participate fully and return home from the meeting without any major incident. In line with the Harmonised Working Group (HWG) of the RBM, and following a recommendation of the Nov 2007, RBM Board meeting, all endemic countries for malaria are expected to carryout exhaustive needs assessments in order to inform a global business plan for malaria, which will enable resource mobilization for the agreed upon scaling up for impact (SUFI).
During this first CARN meeting following the above mentioned board meeting, there was therefore need to orientate and update partners and concerned national malaria control programmes representations on these global orientations and examine the achievement rate of the past plan of action, while elaborating a new one in line with the current orientations.
The goal of this meeting was therefore to define concrete actions for the CARN action plan in line with that of the HWG of the RBM.
Countries of the region are therefore expected to conduct needs assessment, build their respective business plans from this and inform the development or modification of the country strategic plan. Country business plans will be used for resource mobilisation to support programmes and move the indicators towards the 2010 target.
The country business plans will be used to produce the Global Business Plan for malaria. Country action plans including the various steps of these activities were key outcome of this meeting. Also the introduction of malaria vaccine phase three test was discussed and input on issues raised informed on the process.
RBM will provide support in various forms to countries in the entire process in some cases on the first-come-first-serve basis when all countries cannot be covered. It was indicated that Malaria Consortium has developed a toll to be used for the country needs assessment and that they have been contracted to support the needs assessment process, using this tool, for Cameroon and other countries.
Other important issues discussed were to agree on the calendar of support to countries on the signing of the agreement of GF Round 7, support to countries for the development of proposals for GF Round 8. Through presentations, discussions and work groups, the objectives of the CARN meeting were fully achieved.
