21, July 2020
Fear of COVID-19 Stopping Childhood Vaccinations in Cameroon 0
Cameroon’s medical authorities say over 200,000 children have not received routine vaccinations on schedule since March, when the country had its first case of COVID-19. Parents are refusing to take their kids to hospitals because they fear they may be infected with the virus, which has spread to nearly 17,000 people and caused nearly 400 deaths. Doctors are warning that without the vaccinations, children in Cameroon risk preventable diseases such as diphtheria, the measles, and tetanus.
A 4-month-old baby cries as she receives her second polio vaccine at the Chantal Biya Foundation Hospital in Cameroon’s capital Yaounde.
Elizabeth Mbungong, 27, says she is getting her baby’s booster shot nearly three months late because she was scared of going to the hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I gave birth in the month of March and the first vaccine was given to the baby against Tetanus. They gave me another rendezvous [appointment] in the month of April. I did not respect [the appointment] because I was afraid of the coronavirus,” she said.
Mbungong said after she watched a TV program on the dangers of not vaccinating children, she decided that going to the hospital was worth the risk.
Pediatrician Clemence Vougmo says many parents are letting fear of the virus prevent them from getting their children vaccinated.
She says Chantal Biya Foundation Hospital should have had 2,300 children for routine vaccinations since March. But they have seen only about half the children.
Cameroon’s medical officials say the problem has been widespread during the pandemic.
Cameroon’s National Expanded Program for Immunization reports across the country at least 200,000 children have not received their vaccinations as scheduled.
Deputy permanent secretary of the program Shalom Tchokfe says they have deployed staff to look for the children.
Speaking via telephone from Douala, a coastal city and the largest in Cameroon, he said the situation is especially troubling in the capital Yaounde, the economic hub Douala, and the western town of Bafoussam. He said 110,000 children in those cities have not received their routine vaccines since the month of March, when Cameroon reported its first case of COVID-19. Teams can meet the children in their houses, said Tchokfe. Parents and health workers are safe during routine vaccinations at hospitals, he said, as long as they wear their masks and wash their hands regularly.
Tchokfe notes that vaccinations dramatically reduce child mortality and urges all parents to get their infants vaccinated on schedule.
The United Nations warned this month of an alarming decline in the number of children getting vaccinated for preventable diseases such as diphtheria, tetanus, and the measles.
According to a study published by the Lancet Global Health Journal this month, continuing with routine immunizations may lead to 8,300 additional deaths in Africa from COVID-19.
But the study said suspending vaccinations could lead to a further 702,000 African children dying from preventable diseases.
Source: VOA
23, July 2020
Asamor’s “Dr. Coro Coro”, An Ode to Human Resilience 0
Music has been one of man’s most trusted companions throughout history. In times of adversity as in times of joy, in tranquility and in excitement, the human soul is always in search of a beat rhythm, or melody to connect with, synchronize and find orientation. It is not strange that in times of uncertainties as the world is facing now due to the COVID-19 pandemic, music becomes one of the most readily available agents used by humans to rationalize the grippling suffering.
Having contracted COVID-19 and gone into quarantine, Germany based Cameroonian artist, Asamor, refused to be beaten by the vermin. He fought against it with all his might and tools at his disposal. He was physically isolated from the rest of humanity. But he kept himself connected through the power of social media with daily updates on his Facebook page. Even while in quarantine, he had already envisioned the day he would emerge victoriously. Thus, he composed the song “Dr. Coro Coro” which was released soon after his recovery to critical acclaim and rave reviews.
The artist holds that the song is meant “to sensitize, sympathize, give courage, and bring joy and comfort to all loved ones during this challenging moment of total lockdown and after.” Indeed, one can only call it “An Ode to Human Resilience”.
Who is Asamor?
Born and raised in Fontem, Lebialem Division of the South West of Cameroon, Asamor’s romance with music began right from childhood. As a prince, he grew up already exposed to many of the traditional music and dance forms of his native Lebialem. In Lebialem, princes and princesses are known for their performance skills. It is then no doubt that Asamor is a consummate dancer and an adept player of various traditional instruments.
Though enrolled at the University of Bonn to study agricultural science, Asamor could not help responding to the musical rhythms hissing within his soul. He listened to his inner muse and began experimenting with a blend of his native Bangwa rhythms and the already established makossa music rhythms. This gave birth to a hybrid form of music that he called Abanda Kossa.
His first album was released in 2002. In 2004, Asamor released his second album which featured the prolific Cameroonian musician Petit Pays in the lead song. This collaboration was ground-breaking because it was the first act that Petit Pays had ever done with any musician other than the members of his Sans Visa band. In 2008 Asamor released his third album and subsequently had a string of singles (five in number) between 2013 and 2018.
Asamor has received the KAMA Award (Germany), the African Diaspora Living Legend Award, and twice voted among the 100 most influential Africans in Germany. Yet, during all those years, Asamor was doing music mostly as a pastime, even as he had returned to school and studied Sound Engineering and opened a recording studio.
Even though Asamor has not released many albums, he still a very prolific music maker. He has a collection of unreleased songs from which he has committed to releasing between three and five songs per annum.
“Dr. Coro Coro” has become an Afrobeat anthem not just for its rhythms but also for the message. He sings about the danger and deadliness of COVID-19, its precautions, and protective measures.
The hundreds of social media impressions and dance sequences inspired by the song are testimony to the profound ways in which the audience has connected with the song. It is a sign that even as COVID-19 seems to have cornered humanity we shall surely emerge the winner.
Written by the manager
Asamor Music