Samuel Nambile Cumber

The health profile of street children in Africa: a literature review

The United Nations Children’s Fund has labeled street children as children in difficult circumstances, which represent a minority population that has been under-represented for too long in health research. This is a concern because street children are at risk of carrying a greater disease burden. Their homeless lifestyle makes them more vulnerable to health risks and problems than children who live at home; as they roam the streets begging for food and money to obtain basic needs and are found sleeping in half-destroyed houses, abandoned basements, under bridges and in the open air. This paper presents health results from a systematic review of literature from 17 databases and including 16 countries in Africa. The review revealed that there are more boys than girls living on the street in their adolescence and who mainly have left home due to poverty and abuse. These children in these countries are vulnerable to poor health due to factors such as homelessness, risky sexual behavior, substance abuse and violence. Among the health problems identified are growth and nutritional disorders, physical injuries, violence, sexual abuse, communicable diseases including diarrheal diseases, malaria, respiratory diseases, neglected tropical diseases, mental health issues, substance abuse, reproductive health disorders, mortality, sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS. Primary interventions that could prevent poor health and improve the health status of street children include provision of safe shelter, proper nutrition, access to health care, health education, and sexual reproductive health, protection from any form of abuse, violence and substance abuse. Enforcing state policies and laws in all African countries is required to protect street children from neglect, abuse and to increase their access to education. More research on the health risks and health status of street children is still required, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, which carries the greatest disease burden and poverty.

Under Five Malnutrition Crises in the Boko Haram Area of Cameroon

Boko-Haram has increased their attacks along the Cameroon boarder in the Far North region of Cameroon since 2013. The prevalence of malnutrition in the north of Cameroon is high. Regions like the Adamawa, North and Far North regions have a prevalence of malnutrition of 5.2%, 6.7%, 9.0%, respectively; and, in addition to that, 1289 children have been admitted for therapeutic care due to malnutrition from the above regions. This crisis has an impact on access to livelihoods, because insecurity reduces access for farmers to harvest and impacts the upcoming sowing season, which has a direct impact on nutrition. Furthermore, the frequent attacks and displacement of persons in the Far North of Cameroon goes hand-in-hand with other issues, such as water shortage, shelter, food shortages and limitations to other basic needs.

Breast cancer among women in sub-Saharan Africa: prevalence and a situational analysis

Abstract Breast cancer is the most common cause of death in women worldwide. The incidence of breast cancer in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has been rising and yet many cases remain undetected. Studies reveal that the prevalence of breast cancer in most SSA countries does not give the true picture as many of these countries lack national cancer registries. A number of risk factors such as alcoholism, age and hormones predispose women to breast cancer and several challenges are currently faced in detecting and managing breast cancer in SSA, especially in the domain of medical imaging technology and finances. The purpose of this review is to document the prevalence of breast cancer among women in SSA.

Eradicating malnutrition in Cameroon

Despite the numerous interventions for the amelioration of socio-economic status and food security in Africa, the output still does not show any significant effect, leaving people to wonder if it will ever be possible to eradicate poverty and malnutrition in that part of the world. Malnutrition can effectively be eradicated but it will all depend on the strategies put in place as well as the monitoring systems, coordination and resources available for their proper functioning. In Cameroon, the situation keeps deteriorating with an estimated 229 000 cases of malnourished children (34% being severe cases) noted at the start of 2015, compared to 186 000 cases noted in 2014 (29% being severe cases). It was also noted that 8 out of 10 cases of malnutrition came from the North and Far North regions of Cameroon with more than half of the remainder coming from the East region of the country. 1 (Full text available online at www.medpharm.tandfonline.com/ojcn ) South Afr J Clin Nutr 2016; DOI: 10.1080/16070658.2016.1217649

Meeting the food needs of refugee children in the northern and eastern regions of Cameroon: current challenges faced and strategies to overcome them

Section for Epidemiology and Social Medicine, Department of Public Health, Institute of Medicine (EPSO), The Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden Department of Medical Diagnostic Imaging, St Blaise Clinic, Big Mankon, Archdiocese Bamenda, Bamenda, Cameroon Epidemiology and Control of Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon *Corresponding author, email: chehenry200@gmail.com

Migration related malnutrition among war-instigated refugee children in the northern part of Cameroon

Abstract Migration is interwoven with the problems of health and nutrition. When people migrate, they are still in need of the most basic human needs including nutrition and health care. These two again are inter-related since they affect one another. The quality of nutrition which an individual receives has a lot to play on his/her health. This paper seeks to discuss the malnourished situation of the children of refugees and internally displaced persons in the northern part of Cameroon resulting from Boko Haram insurgencies in boarder countries (Nigeria in particular) and within Cameroon itself. The study also shows that the number of refugees in the Northern part of Cameroon has been on a progressive increase since 2013. The most alarming aspect of the presence of these refugees driven out of their homes by Boko Haram attacks is the large number of children who suffer from severe acute malnutrition.

Factors associated with postpartum depression among adolescents in Uganda

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a common and disabling public health complication of the postpartum period in women. It is believed to occur three times more commonly in developing countries than in the developed world and is more prevalent among women in the first six weeks after birth. Research suggests that postpartum depression is more commonly diagnosed among adolescents and may be a risk factor for poor growth and development in children born to these mothers. Therefore, adolescents are a special age group that requires specific health care maternal interventions in order to detect and treat post-partum depression.

Factors associated with adolescent school girl’s pregnancy in Kumbo East Health District North West region Cameroon

Introduction Teenage pregnancy is a social problem in Cameroon in general and in Kumbo East in particular. This results in physical, psychological and socio-economic consequences on the teenage mother, family and the society as a whole. In spite of studies and interventions that have been and are being implemented, the prevalence of unplanned teenage pregnancy in Kumbo East Health District is still high, suggesting that more efforts are required to achieve effective preventive measures. The aim of this study was to determine factors associated with adolescent school girls pregnancy in Kumbo East health district. Methods A cross-sectional descriptive study design was used and a simple random sampling technique was used to select 293 respondents aged 15 to 19year. The district hospital antenatal clinics and the Health Centres were selected. Data was obtained from 292 participants under the age of 20 years who were willing using a questionnaire administered through face-to-face interviews. Results The study show a high prevalence (60.75%) of teenage pregnancy in the sampled antenatal clinics of Kumbo East Health District attributable to inadequate considerations given to factors associated with school girls pregnancy. This study has indicated that the age of teenager at first pregnancy, low contraceptive use, socio-economic status and physical violence are factors that are greatly associated with teenage pregnancy. Among the reasons contributing to the low use of contraceptives are: sexually activity, lack of knowledge, fear of side effects, including sterility, condoms disappearing in the womb and inequality of power with sexual partners. This study shows that teenagers obtain information mainly from school (53%) and relatives (20%). Conclusion The use of contraceptive alone may not reduce teenage pregnancy, however double method is very effective but addressing the impact of poverty on teenagers, empowering them on their rights and information in order to make right choices is very important.

Soil-transmitted Helminth infection in the Tiko Health District, South West Region of Cameroon: a post-intervention survey on prevalence and intensity of infection among primary school children

Introduction Soil-transmitted helminths (STH) infection remains a public health problem in sub-Saharan Africa with children being most vulnerable. STH infection may result in impairment, permanent disability or death. Annual mass deworming has been implemented in the Tiko Health District (THD), however, no study has assessed the current prevalence of STH infection. This study aimed to determine the prevalence, intensity of STH infections and associated risk factors among school children. Methods Two months after the school deworming exercise, 400 children were sampled from 10 schools in THD. Stool samples were collected and analyzed using the Kato-katz technique. Data on socio-demographic and behavioral factors were collected using questionnaires. Data were analyzed using SPSS and intensity of infection categorized following WHO recommendations. Descriptive data were calculated with frequencies (n) and proportions (%), prevalence and 95% confidence interval calculated for gender and age respectively. Differences in prevalence for socio-demographic characteristics and behavioral variables were calculated with Chi square (χ2). Independent sample t-test was used to compare the means in the number of eggs in feces between male and female school children. Results The prevalence of STH was 1% (95% CI: 0.02-1.98). Ascaris lumbricoides was the only STH species detected and all cases were of low intensities. The arithmetic mean egg intensity was 3.1egg per gram of faeces. Rates of infection were similar between gender and age. Site of defecation showed an association with STH infection (χ2 = 13.63, p=0.03). Conclusion These findings suggested a low prevalence of STH infection which could be explained by the prior deworming of children, modification in environmental and behavioral factors. Questions on effectiveness of annual mass deworming in achieving STH elimination targets need to be investigated further.

Bacterial contamination of Ugandan paper currency notes possessed by food vendors around Mulago Hospital complex, Uganda

Introduction Paper currency notes, exchangeable fomite, that is continuously contaminated because of the poor handling and storage practices. Objective: the general objective of the study was to determine the bacterial contamination of paper currency notes possessed by food vendors around Mulago National Referral Hospital Complex. Methods A total of sixty paper notes of six denominations (1000, 2000, 5000, 10000, 20000, 50000) were collected from different food vendors. Each note was preserved in a sterile falcon tube and transported to the microbiology lab for bacteriological examination. Data from questionnaires was analyzed using SPSS version 23 (IBM SPSS Statistics). Results All sampled paper notes had bacterial contamination. The bacterial counts ranged from 4×102cfu/ml to 6.8×109 cfu/ml, with the Shs.1000 notes having the highest average total bacterial load of 2.17×109 cfu/ml and highest average total coli form counts of 21.5×102 cfu/ml. The fifty thousand shillings note had no coliform detected. Of the analysed 60 samples, 27(45%) samples contained Staphylococcus aureus. None of the sampled paper notes had Escherichia coli. Conclusion The study revealed that most of Ugandan paper notes are contaminated with bacteria including potential pathogens that cause disease in healthy individuals and opportunistic pathogens that may cause disease in hospitalized and immunocompromised patients. This study showed that the most contaminated note denominations were those of low denomination (Shs.1000 and Shs.2000) which had the highest bacterial count. The study revealed the paper currency notes were stored in different places where the commonest was the drawer and kept with different items, the commonest being pens. Hence, great care must be taken while handling money during the preparation and handling of food to avoid cross contamination.