Malaria Vaccine Introduction in Cameroon: Early Results 30 Days into Rollout.

Cameroon introduced the malaria vaccine in its routine immunization program on 22 January 2024 in the 42 districts out of 200 that are among the most at risk of malaria. A cross-sectional analysis of the data on key vaccine events in the introduction roadmap and the vaccine uptake during the first 30 days was conducted. In addition to available gray literature related to the introduction of the malaria vaccine, data on the malaria vaccine uptake by vaccination session, collected through a digital platform, were analyzed. A total of 1893 reports were received from 22 January 2024 to 21 February 2024 from 766 health facilities (84% of overall completeness). Two regions out of ten recorded less than 80% completeness. As of 21 February 2024, 13,811 children had received the first dose of the malaria vaccine, including 7124 girls (51.6%) and 6687 boys (48.4%). In total, 36% of the children were vaccinated through outreach sessions, while 61.5% were vaccinated through sessions in fixed posts. The overall monthly immunization coverage with the first dose was 37%. Early results have shown positive attitudes towards and acceptance of malaria vaccines. Suboptimal completeness of data reporting and a low coverage highlight persistent gaps and challenges in the vaccine rollout.

Setting up a data system for monitoring malaria vaccine introduction readiness and uptake in 42 health districts in Cameroon.

Three months after the first shipment of RTS,S1/AS01 vaccines, Cameroon started, on 22 January 2024, to roll out malaria vaccines in 42 districts among the most at risk for malaria. Cameroon adopted and implemented the World Health Organization (WHO) malaria vaccine readiness assessment tool to monitor the implementation of preintroduction activities at the district and national levels. One week before the start of the vaccine rollout, overall readiness was estimated at 89% at a national level with two out of the five components of readiness assessment surpassing 95% of performance (vaccine, cold chain and logistics and training) and three components between 80% and 95% (planning, monitoring and supervision, and advocacy, social mobilisation and communication). 'Vaccine, cold chain and logistics' was the component with the highest number of districts recording below 80% readiness. The South-West and North-West, two regions with a high level of insecurity, were the regions with the highest number of districts that recorded a readiness performance below 80% in the five components. To monitor progress in vaccine rollout daily, Cameroon piloted a system for capturing immunisation data by vaccination session coupled with an interactive dashboard using the R Shiny platform. In addition to displaying data on vaccine uptake, this dashboard allows the generation of the monthly immunisation report for all antigens, ensuring linkage to the regular immunisation data system based on the end-of-month reporting through District Health Information Software 2. Such a hybrid system complies with the malaria vaccine rollout principle of full integration into routine immunisation coupled with strengthened management of operations.

Polio outbreaks in Cameroon following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Polio is an infectious and disabling life-threatening disease caused by the poliovirus. This disease is prevented through vaccination. Though this viral infection has been eliminated in most parts of the world, a few countries are still endemic to wild poliovirus. In 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) African Region, including Cameroon, was certified free of wild poliovirus. Some countries recurrently report circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus cases (cVDPV) despite recorded achievements. Also, the risk of importing poliovirus from endemic settings remains, particularly in the context of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). This study aimed to assess the state of polio in Cameroon and identify the situation during COVID-19. A data review was conducted from February to March 2023. Data on polio cases and vaccination coverage per region of Cameroon were reviewed from 2014 to 2022. Data were analyzed with Microsoft Excel, and the results were presented as proportions. The last wild poliovirus was reported in Cameroon in 2014, and the country benefitted from a response. No case of poliovirus was detected in the country from 2015 to 2018. After that, an increasing number of type two cVDPV were reported across 50% of the country's regions from 2019 to 2022. The outbreaks benefitted from responses with various oral polio vaccines, including the type two novel oral polio vaccine (nOPV-2). Though wild polioviruses have been eliminated in most countries, including Cameroon, cVDPV remains a significant problem. There is an urgent need to strengthen disease surveillance and vaccination to prevent cVDPV-2 in this country, particularly in the COVID-19 context.

Beyond the numbers: An in-depth look at Cameroon's fifth national COVID-19 vaccination campaign through geographical and gender lenses.

BACKGROUND: Cameroon has been struggling with low Covid-19 vaccination coverage, with only 4.5 % of the population receiving the primary series as of November 2022. The COVID-19 Vaccine Delivery Partnership (CoVDP) conducted a high-level mission to Cameroon to assess progress and advocate for actions to address bottlenecks. The objective of the mission was to administer at least 3,000,000 doses of vaccines during the 5th Mass vaccination campaign. This study examines the factors contributing to the success of the campaign and uses a geographical and gender lens to assess the results. METHODS: The study is a secondary analysis of data from the DHIS2 collected during the 5th mass vaccination campaign for Covid-19. Descriptive statistics were used to assess coverages per location and gender expressed in OR. sccess factors, and chi-squared tests were used to assess differences in vaccine distribution across regions and by gender. RESULTS: This 5th vaccination campaign benefitted from a strong political commitment facilitated by CoVDP's mission, international support, collaboration, planning, supervision, and demand generation. The campaign recorded 2 019 118 administered vaccine doses, a staggering 46-fold increase in vaccinated individuals relative to the first round, with vaccination coverage reaching 10.1 % of the general population. However, the study reveals regional and gender disparities in vaccination coverage. Men had higher odds of being vaccinated than women in the three Sahel regions. Among individuals with comorbidities, the national coverage rate was only 14 %, and the Far North and East regions exhibited the lowest coverage rates. Janssen was the most used vaccine, and the total AEFI cases reported were 2 per 1000 vaccine doses. CONCLUSION: The 5th COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Cameroon saw a strong political commitment and was the most successful so far. Despite the gains, there was gender disparity in coverage in some regions. It is important to continue the established momentum, ensure equitable access in the Sahel regions, and reach high-priority groups with primary series and booster doses.

Impact of periodic intensification of routine immunization within an armed conflict setting and COVID-19 outbreak in Cameroon in 2020.

INTRODUCTION: Cameroon's Southwest Region (SW) has been hit by an armed conflict for over half a decade now, negatively affecting the region's routine immunization and disease surveillance activities. This negative effect was further acerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which alongside the conflict, caused thousands of children to miss out on life-saving vaccinations. Herein, we present the contribution of periodic intensification of routine immunization in improving immunization and surveillance activities amid crises. METHOD: Periodic intensification of routine immunization (PIRI) and disease surveillance were carried out in three rounds per health district. Before the intervention, the security profile of each district involved was reviewed. Data for this study was extracted on vaccination and surveillance activities from the District Health Information Software and monthly regional reports for 2019 and 2020 from the SW delegation of health. RESULTS: 54,242 persons were vaccinated in the SW following these interventions. An increase in performance was observed in all 18 health districts in 2020 compared to 2019. Both DPT-HebB-Heb-3 vaccine and OPV-3 coverage rose by 28% points. Similarly, the proportion of health districts that investigated at least a case of acute flaccid paralysis increased by 83%, rising from just three districts in 2019 to all 18 in 2020. CONCLUSION: PIRI was a practical approach to improving vaccination coverage and surveillance indicators in this region amidst the ongoing armed conflict and COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 in a region of Cameroon hit by armed conflict.

Introduction: the emergence of more transmissible SARS-CoV-2 variants like Delta and Omicron have triggered the next wave of COVID-19 in many parts of the world. Here we report a surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths in the Northwest (NW) Region of Cameroon, which is plagued with low immunization coverage and armed conflict. Methods: a cross-sectional study was conducted in September 2021 and data on COVID-19 cases and vaccination were reviewed from the Ministry of Health database from January 1st, 2020 to September 4th, 2021. The security situation of the region was obtained from the districts and regional health managers. Data were analyzed with MS Excel and results presented as trends and proportions. Results: since the onset of COVID-19 pandemic, there is an increasing prevalence in cases in the NW. Between epidemiological week 34-35 of 2021, there was a surge in COVID-19 cases in the NW. More than 70% of all COVID-19 related deaths reported in the country during epidemiological week-35 were recorded in this region. Despite this high mortality, COVID-19 vaccine uptake remains very low in the region. Indeed, just 0.6% of the 962,036-target population 18-years and above are fully immunized after 6-months of vaccination. Conclusion: though the country´s epi-curve does not suggest a third wave currently, the NW is experiencing a steady COVID-19 case surge amid insecurity and the circulation of the Delta variant. There is therefore a need to adopt innovative strategies to improve immunization and strengthen other SARS-CoV-2 preventive measures in this region.