A World Health Organization committee of experts will meet on Thursday to discuss the monkeypox outbreak for the first time and decide whether it constitutes a global health emergency.

The one-day meeting, being held in private, was due to start at 1000 GMT, with a statement on the outcome likely to be issued on Friday.

A surge of monkeypox cases has been detected since May outside of the West and Central African countries where the disease has long been endemic. Most of the new cases have been in Western Europe.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has convened an emergency committee to assess whether the outbreak constitutes a public health emergency of international concern.

A PHEIC is the highest alarm that the WHO can sound, under the International Health Regulations — the legally-binding framework agreed by 196 countries on handling public health events that could cross borders.

Besides providing a PHEIC assessment, the committee members are set to give the WHO and its member states advice on how to better prevent the spread of the disease and manage their response.

“The emergency committee will provide a recommendation to the director-general based on scientific principles, and an assessment of the risk to human health, the risk of international spread and the risk of interference with international traffic,” the WHO said.

Tedros then makes the final determination on whether a PHEIC should be declared, based on their advice.

There have been six PHEIC declarations since 2009, the last being for Covid-19 in 2020 — though the sluggish global response to the alarm bell still rankles at the WHO’s Geneva headquarters.

Emergency committee meetings on the new coronavirus outbreak were held on January 22 and 23, 2020 but the panel could not agree at that time that the PHEIC threshold had been reached.

A PHEIC was declared after a third meeting on January 30. But it was only after March 11, when Tedros described the rapidly-worsening situation as a pandemic, that many countries seemed to wake up to the danger.

More than 2,000 cases

This year, as of June 15, some 2,103 laboratory-confirmed cases and one probable case of monkeypox, including one death, have been reported to the WHO from 42 countries.

But the WHO’s Europe office and the EU health agency ECDC said that 2,746 cases had been recorded in Europe alone as of Tuesday.

“The outbreak of monkeypox continues to primarily affect men who have sex with men who have reported recent sex with new or multiple partners,” the WHO said.

Some 84 percent of the cases have been found in Europe, with the most cases being reported from Britain, Spain, Germany, Portugal, Canada and France.

The WHO says there may have been undetected transmission for some time before its unexpected appearance in multiple countries.

The UN health agency currently assesses the global risk level as moderate, considering the low mortality rate.

Tedros announced on June 14 that he would convene an emergency committee, describing the outbreak as “unusual and concerning”.

Source: AFP

Videos of Manyu women crying in Yaoundé following the burning down of the Mamfe General hospital by unknown arsonists have been trending online and many people have been asking very serious questions about the rationale behind such an action when many in the Division need more than tears. 

 Crying is not always a bad thing. It is an expression of a feeling which could be positive or negative. That is why a famous philosopher said that “crying is the noble language of the eye.” The Manyu women in Yaoundé were, for sure, demonstrating their frustration and anger with whoever undertook the ignoble action of robbing more than 100,000 people of quality healthcare in a region which is already in the grip of multiple issues. 

Mamfe has no lights. Its water system clearly belongs to the distant past. It is still a miracle that water-related illnesses have not yet popped up in the town, especially cholera which has wreaked havoc in Limbe and Buea, two towns whose water supply systems are by far better than what passes for a water system in Mamfe. 

There is no doubt that Manyu women in Yaoundé and indeed across the world love their native Manyu whose capital is Mamfe but converging on a small town hall in Yaoundé to shed tears because of a massive disaster that needs more financial resources than tears is indeed mind-boggling. 

The crowd in Yaoundé a few days ago was impressive. Many of the women showed up with some of the finest worsted fabric the world could boast of. The heels of their shoes were so long and beautiful that you could think they were designed for a purpose and by the goddess of beauty. Their expensive eyewear spoke volumes of their love for earthly things. There was no symptom of poverty on any of the women. The occasion seemed to have been an opportunity for some of them to display their wealth and their love for material things. Indeed, that was not the right attire for mourning women. 

A lot of tears were shed, but what is baffling to many minds is the real objective of those tears. But since no human being is a god, these women can be given the benefit of the doubt. The world can cut them some slack, especially if they transform those tears into real concrete actions. The walls of the cultural center on which they converged had been transformed into wailing walls and many of the women wept and cursed those responsible for the heinous crime.

Their coming together clearly demonstrated that there was power in numbers and these women can use their numbers to breathe faith and hope into the desperate people of Mamfe. The Mamfe population needs help and tears alone will not solve their mounting health issues that are staring them in the face.

Manyu women across the globe can use their numbers to mobilize resources which could be used to alleviate the pain of their fellow women in Manyu Division. The damaged hospital was where many women were delivered of their babies. With this facility up in smoke, the future looks very bleak for young women who look forward to having their own families in Mamfe.

While rebuilding the damaged hospital may not be the responsibility of the people of Manyu Division, it must be remembered that the primary beneficiaries of the quality healthcare that was provided by the General Hospital was the local Manyu population. It certainly will take a lot of time for the burned hospital to be rebuilt, but the women of Manyu can come up with the finances that will help local women have access to healthcare – not by wearing expensive clothes and crying, but by make huge sacrifices.

They could mobilize resources to enhance the capacity of the Preventive hospital which has now been transformed into a full-fledged hospital without proper equipment. Arrangements could be made with the two local clinics in the town for pregnant women and nursing mothers to receive the care they need at affordable prices in those two clinics. This is not an impossibility, and it will not cost anybody an arm and a leg.

Manyu women organizations such as MOHWA, which have brought together thousands of women, could depart from their original goal of promoting the culture of the region to raising funds for a cause that will put smiles on many faces. It is always a pleasure to see women leaving the United Kingdom to the United States to attend a MOHWA occasion, but it is also disheartening to know that ever since the Mamfe General Hospital went up in smoke, MOHWA has not issued a statement, nor has it even tried to raise funds for other women whose future is in danger because of the disaster brought onto the population by some lawless and devilish persons.

MOHWA should not only be a place to show off. It should be a medium through which women can help other women, especially those who need medical attention in Manyu Division.  In this unfortunate situation, every bit will go a long way in alleviating the pain of the residents of Mamfe. The Manyu women in Yaoundé just like their sisters in the Diaspora should be leading key resource mobilization efforts to reduce the pain brought about by the burning of the Mamfe General Hospital.

This is the time for Manyu women to demonstrate their sense of purpose. They can at least skip some of the parties organized by their groups just to help those who are at home. They can also forget about the long heels they want to buy and the expensive clothes and hairpieces just to bring joy to other people. They can cry if they so wish, but the ultimate way of demonstrating love and concern in this context will be to participate in fundraising efforts which will reduce the pain of those whose lives hang in the balance due to the massive fire which gutted the Mamfe General Hospital. Manyu women have to act now, if not, theirs will be the kingdom of tears for many years. 

By Joachim Arrey, PhD

Cameroon on Wednesday effectively started charging for polymerase chain reaction COVID-19 test, according to the country’s Minister of Public Health Malachie Manaouda.

Manaouda said Tuesday that the test will now cost 30,000 xaf (approximately 48 U.S. dollars).

Payment will be effected through a platform for the dematerialization of public receipts, but also on physical sites allowing the generation of a unique code and a receipt, he said.

The officials did not explain why the test that was previously free of charge will now be paid for.

As of May 11, Cameroon had 119,947 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 1,930 deaths. And 11 percent of the target population had received at least one vaccine dose, according to the Ministry of Public Health.

Source: Xinhuanet

The United Nations has approved the allocation of 1.7 million U.S. dollars from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to support the urgent response to the cholera outbreak in Cameroon, UN officials in Cameroon said in a statement on Tuesday.

“This CERF grant will enable the humanitarian partners to contribute to reducing cholera-related mortality and curb the spread of the disease, saving numerous lives,” said Olivier Beer, the Humanitarian Coordinator ad interim for Cameroon.

“The humanitarian actors are mobilized to support the cholera response. However, access to remote areas remains challenging as violence, movements impediments and poor condition of roads continue to hamper the humanitarian assistance in the region,” added Karen Perrin, the Head of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Cameroon.

The project will provide emergency assistance in case management, water, hygiene, and sanitation to communities affected by the cholera epidemic in the Southwest and Littoral regions of the country, according to the UN.

As of May 29, Cameroon’s Ministry of Public Health had recorded 8,241 cases and 154 deaths in seven regions.

The Southwest region, which is already facing acute humanitarian needs due to violence, remains the most affected by the cholera outbreak with 5,628 cases and 90 deaths, followed by the Littoral with 2,208 cases and 58 deaths, the UN said.

Source: Xinhuanet

More than 150 people have died during a resurgence of cholera in Cameroon over the last eight months, the United Nations said on Monday.

“The health ministry registered 8,241 cases and 154 deaths,” to the end of May, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.

Seven of the West African nation’s 10 regions have reported cholera cases.

The worst-hit is the English-speaking Southwest with 5,628 cases and 90 deaths, followed by the Littoral with 2,208 cases and 58 deaths, OCHA said.

Access to the Southwest “remains difficult” after years of violence between anglophone separatists and the army, said OCHA’s Cameroon office head Karen Perrin.

Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal disease that is treatable with antibiotics and hydration but can kill within hours if left untreated.

Outbreaks occur periodically in Cameroon, which has a population of more than 25 million. The last epidemic occurred between January and August 2020, when 66 people died.

According ot the World Health Organization, researchers estimate that each year there are between 1.3 million and 4.0 million cases of cholera worldwide, leading to between 21 000-143 000 deaths.

Source: AFP

A new study by Cameroon’s Ministry of Public Health has revealed that the Central African nation has witnessed a remarkable drop in new HIV/AIDS infections.

The study was presented on Tuesday in the capital, Yaounde during a meeting to evaluate strides made to combat the epidemic in the country.

According to the 18-month study, 3.5 million HIV tests were carried out since January last year and 93,000 people were confirmed positive with the South Region having the highest number of confirmed cases.

Zoung-Kanyi Bissek, a senior official at the public health ministry said the results indicated a drop in prevalence from 3.3 percent in 2020 to 2.7 percent this year.

“This shows that the strategies put in place are well on course and are recording positive results. In those strategies, women and children are particularly targeted,” Bissek told reporters.

Source: Xinhuanet

The news of the burning of the Manyu District hospital has hit many Cameroonians like a ton of bricks and many are asking many questions. What could have pushed anybody to burn down a hospital that is serving more than forty thousand inhabitants of the town of Mamfe and its environs?

From the first analysis made by the Cameroon Concord News Group’s correspondent in Mamfe who has visited the ruined buildings, it is evident that gasoline was used in the burning down of up to ten wards of the hospital.

“This is a coordinated act. How was this gasoline transported to the hospital when there are multiple checkpoints in and around Mamfe, the capital city of Manyu Division? There is a checkpoint in Mile One, there is another checkpoint opposite the hospital and there is a huge army camp in Besongabang, some two kilometers away from the hospital. How come none of the soldiers saw anything?” Our correspondent in Mamfe asked.

“I have been talking to many people around town and they say they saw soldiers heading in that direction yesterday at about 9pm Mamfe time and after they got into the hospital, there was a massive exchange of gunfire which sent the residents of the town to deck for cover in their homes, especially those living opposite the hospital. The military has to answer for this and there is nothing that will convince the people of Mamfe that the military is innocent,” our correspondent said.

“The government must launch a massive and transparent investigation and the investigators must talk with the people of Manyu Division if the facts must come out. There are many people who know the truth, but they are scared of talking. It is alleged that two French-speaking military officials had been seen in the day ferrying fuel from place to place, but the population thought nothing of it. The people of Mamfe thought it was the military and that the soldier might be travelling overnight, so they need extra fuel for their trip. These military officials must be investigated,” he said.

“There is much talking in Mamfe that the military thinks that carrying out such acts of violence and irresponsibility will intimidate the population into disconnecting from the rebellion. But this act is certainly going to be counter-productive. The people of Mamfe are angry both with the military and Amba fighters who do not have the capacity to undertake such a massive operation. I have called one of the Amba soldiers in Nchang, some three kilometers from the hospital, and he has stressed that they had not carried out any operations in that area. I have also talked with Amba generals in Mfuni and Ossing and they have also said that they cannot be destroying a hospital that is helping their own people. They have clearly pointed an accusing finger at the military, adding that how could that have happened when the military is directly opposite the hospital. There are many military checkpoints in Mamfe, and it is surprising that such an elaborate scheme can be implemented without the knowledge of the military,” he stressed.

“I am still investigating, but there is a lot of tension out here. The military seems to be hiding something. Our traditional chiefs must come together to produce a joint statement that will soothe the minds of our people. The people are angry, and they want the military to pay for its crime. Chief Oben, the Paramount Chief of Mamfe, has been seen this morning and he is clearly disappointed with the situation. He was a chief medical officer of this hospital before retiring and he did a great job renovating the hospital. The people are looking up to him for a fund-raising event that can result in the mobilization of massive resources to rebuild the hospital,” he underscored.

Meanwhile, sources in Yaoundé have indicated that the government is aware that there are many military officials who want the struggle to continue because they are making huge gains from the people’s suffering. The source, which spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the government is currently watching some army officials who are being suspected of stoking the fires in Southern Cameroons.

“The government is aware of the malicious intentions of some of its military officials who want the crisis to continue because the situation is helping them to live like maggots in bacons in Yaoundé. The government has not yet had enough probable cause to arrest them, but undercover agents are working very hard to uncover the secret plots put in place by these ignoble characters who are causing the country to continue to bleed. It is a matter of time. They will be unmasked,” the source said. 

Meanwhile the Cameroon Concord News Group is calling on Manyu sons and daughters to organize fundraisers so that the hospital can be rebuilt in a very short period of time. While it is the government’s responsibility, the Board of Directors of the Cameroon Concord News Group holds that if the people of Manyu Division can come with lots of money, the government will be obliged to cave in and avoid the long procurement procedures that may delay things. 

By Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

A spike in cholera in Cameroon has killed 140 people since October last year, Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute said on Wednesday.

“The updated epidemiological situation report shows a total of 7 287 notified cases, including 140 deaths, since October 2021,” he said in a statement.

“Three regions continue to record new patients,” he added, referring to the Littoral region, the West region, and the English-speaking Southwest region.

A vaccination campaign is to start in June, the government has said.

Cholera is an acute form of diarrhoea that is treatable with antibiotics and hydration but can kill within hours if left untreated.

Outbreaks occur periodically in Cameroon, a west African nation of more than 25 million inhabitants. The last epidemic occurred between January and August 2020, when 66 people died.

Cholera is caused by a germ that is typically transmitted by poor sanitation. People become infected when they swallow food or water carrying the bug.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said in early 2021 there were between 1.3 and four million cases of cholera per year around the world, leading to between 21 000 and 143 000 deaths.

Source: AFP