Established in 2004, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been working closely with the Ministry of Public Health, the World Health Organisation (WHO), and other partners to strengthen health systems, reduce illness, and respond to disease outbreaks.
In 2024, it is celebrating 20 years of existence in the country and according to the Country Director, Mohamed F. Jalloh, PhD, MPH the agency has since then worked hand-in-hand with the Government of Cameroon and implementing partners to prevent, detect, and respond to diverse public health threats while also strengthening systems for laboratory, surveillance, data, and informatics.
The 20th anniversary celebration took place in Yaounde on September 10, 2024. The event was attended by the US Ambassador to Cameroon, HE Christopher J. Lamora, Minister of Public Health in Cameroon, Dr Manaouda Malachi, the CDC Country Director, Dr Mohamed F. Jalloh. Other Health institutions were also present at the event.
According to Dr Jalloh, technical assistance has been the foundation of CDC’s bilateral engagement with MINSANTE over the past 20 years, to tackle disease-specific threats such as HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria, in addition to strengthening Cameroon’s health systems to better respond to cross-cutting health emergencies.
“Together we have navigated public health challenges with resilience and a shared commitment to the well-being of the people of Cameroon” he said during the celebration.
The Government of Cameroon, whom he considers as a primary collaborator, “has provided tremendous leadership and commitment to our shared public health goals”.
HE Christopher J. Lamora pointed that “Health has always been and will continue to be one of our top priorities in Cameroon, and the US Mission in Cameroon looks forward to continued collaboration to advance the health of people in Cameroon and around the world”.
Dr Manaouda Malachi on his part applauded the CDC and its implementing partners for the work achieved in Cameroon since 2004 till present and assured the Governments continued support in achieving its goals.
The anniversary celebration also featured awards to partners they have worked with and also to some outstanding colleagues and collaborators for their efforts in supporting CDC.
Achievements
Since 2004 when the CDC established its first office in Cameroon, it has been able to achieve quite a lot, among which they count the training of over 1,700 field epidemiologists.
Through their activities, Cameroon established the first accredited blood bank in Central Africa. 98% of Tuberculosis patients at PEPFAR supported facilities have been tested for HIV. 424,000 people living with HIV are on antiretroviral treatment, 5 laboratories achieved ISO 15189 accreditation and 840,000+ pregnant women tested for HIV and 97% of those who tested positive received treatment.
Future projects
As part of the US Mission in Cameroon, CDC will continue to support the Government of Cameroon to strengthen the health sector, prevent and respond to public health threats, and improve health outcomes in Cameroon.
They are committed to strengthening global health security by implementing the 7-1-7 framework, which focuses on detecting outbreaks with seven days, notifying authorities within one day, and initiating response measures within seven days.
The CDC intends to double its efforts with the Ministry of Public Health and partners to end the HIV and TB epidemics in Cameroon by 2030 through sustained treatment and prevention efforts, ensuring every individual living with HIV and TB receives the care they need.
In 2024, the Government of Cameroon launched the National Pediatric HIV Surge in partnership with CDC to scale up the identification of children and adolescents living with HIV and connect them to lifesaving treatment. The CDC therefore aims to accelerate their partnerships to bring Malaria deaths and cases under control, particularly for vulnerable populations such as children.