9, June 2016
400,000 Cameroonians living with the sickle cell disease 0
Yaounde, the nation’s capital is hosting the 2nd Congress of sickle cell disease under the theme ” Sickle Cell Disease in Cameroon: Place, Care and Prospects”. Cameroon Intelligence Report learnt that the forum has been placed under the patronage of the Minister of Public Health, the controversial Andre Mama Fouda.
According to a recent study, 400 000 people are living with the sickle cell disease in Cameroon. The same study hinted that 1 out of every 3 Cameroonian has the “SS” gene. Minister Mama Fouda opened the congress and unveiled the National Blood Donor Card scheme.
CIR
16, June 2016
Cameroon: Pig farmers improving hygienic conditions 0
Pig farmers and butchers have been cleaning up their environment and workplaces to give a better image to their businesses. Disinfecting slaughtering corners, pig styles and slabs regularly with caustic soda, inspecting carcasses before sale and selling in clean environment is a must for avoiding any contamination. According to pig butchers and farmers in the Wouri Division, hygiene and sanitation are passwords for the pig sector that is increasingly attracting customers.
In times past, it was common to see makeshift pork slabs along the street, selling to naive customers who cared less about the hygienic conditions of the pork. Today, veterinary doctors do not only confiscate such carcasses that are unfit for human consumption, but destroy them on the spot. In all the subdivisions in Wouri, there exists legal slaughter corners where a veterinary team inspects the carcasses before they are declared fit for consumption.
In the Douala II municipality where about 120 pigs are slaughtered daily, animal health staff ensure hygiene in the lone slaughter corner and that the animals are in good health. Pork dealers now practice thorough hygiene and sanitation following the crisis in the poultry sector that killed thousands of table birds in the Centre Region. Roger Fogang, the Pig Butchers’ President in the Douala II Council Area, restated the importance of hygiene: “We carry out regular and compulsory cleaning of the market once a week. I also make sure that all pig butchers keep their surroundings and slabs clean and put on white jackets to give dignity to the profession,” Roger Fogang explained.
On the other hand, veterinary officers ensure that butchers acquire medical certificates,” he explained. At a recent meeting with over 400 pig dealers in Wouri, the Divisional Delegate for Livestock, Dr Guy Mimbang, cautioned them to avert epidemic outbreaks by being ready to compete with modern butchers in supermarkets.
Cameroon Tribune