Socio-Environmental Signatures of Cholera Epidemics in Douala - Cameroon

Scientific Study from the year 2018 in the subject Medicine - Public Health, grade: NA, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, language: English, abstract: This study is an enquiry into the socio-epidemiological characteristics of sections of the Douala municipal metropolis in Cameroon in the face of recurrent and increasingly large cholera outbreaks in Cameroon. The purpose is to provide vital insights into the extent and nature of vulnerability of the populations to cholera outbreaks, as well as provide a leeway for the effective identification of maximum risk areas and vulnerable populations so as to tailor limited response resources efficiently and effectively. The study establishes the following:1). Contrary to the popular belief that in a cholera endemic setting, the greatest burden is in the younger age groups (0-2 and 3-9), in the case of Douala, based on data of the last three epidemiological periods (2010, 2011 and 2012), the young adult / adult age groups (21-30 and 31-40 years) have been identified as the most vulnerable. 2). Concerning gender, males have been found to be far more vulnerable than females; 3). Social characteristics not commonly considered in public health strategies, including: attitudes towards hygiene and sanitation, limited knowledge of diseases and cholera transmission mechanisms, as well as magico-religious beliefs on the origins of cholera, are possibly the dominant causes of high vulnerability to cholera and/or serve as major hindrances to effective mitigation; 4). Cholera risk factors such as slum settlements, lack of proper social amenities and services for example potable water, drainage, waste collection, hygiene and sanitation facilities, are generally spread through out the Littoral Region and Douala in particular, though characterized by glaring unevenness constitute important risk facts but not direct causes of high vulnerability. Though there appears to be a direct relationship between the existence of risk factors and vulnerability, human attitudes and beliefs are the bridge linking these two concepts. Finally, an Integrated Cholera Management (ICM) framework has been proposed. This framework is intended to show the interconnected components in an ideal cholera management system in Cameroon.