Helen Keller International Programs in Cameroon

Country Profile:
Total population: GNI per capita: Life expectancy at birth: U5 mortality rate: Infant mortality rate: Adult illiteracy rate: Onchocerciasis prevalence: Vitamin A Deficiency prevalence: Trachoma prevalence : Cataract backlog:
HKI Programs in Cameroon:

History of Helen Keller International in Cameroon

HKI has been working in Cameroon in a highly onchocerciaisis-endemic area since 1992 to assist communities to bring relief to their afflicted members. Currently, our program serves an estimated population of 642,000 people. The program builds the capacity of government health personnel and community members within the existing infrastructure to sustain Mectizan® distribution and surveillance activities over a period of 15 to 20 years. The key program activities being implemented to accomplish our goal of eradication of this devastating disease are training of about 400 health professionals and over 2000 community distributors and other community leaders, development of educational and advocacy materials, provision of technical assistance on program design, supervision of distribution activities in almost 1200 villages, and evaluation for improvement of the overall program in order to ensure sustainability.

Objectives:

• To eliminate Onchocerciasis as a public health problem in Center Province by 2020.
• To treat at least 65% of the total population each year for 15 to 20 years.
• To increase participation in all communities involved in the program.
• To enhance the capacity of MOH staff and communities to manage and sustain the program.
  

Structure:

HKI provides technical input to the National Onchocerciais Control Program as a member of the National Onchocerciasis Task Force. HKI works conjointly with the Provincial Delegation for Public Health of Center Province on all aspects of planning, implementation and evaluation of the onchocerciasis control program in the 9 endemic health districts of Center Province. The health district teams are responsible for training and supervision of the health area (health center) nurses who directly assist the community distributors with their job of distributing Mectizan® to all eligible members of the community during a two month long campaign period every year. Health promotion and education activities are conducted jointly by the health area nurses and community distributors. The Provincial team, with HKI assistance, provides coordination, technical input and oversight of the program.

:: Highlights:

• In 2002, HKI-assisted projects provided treatment to 335,605 people throughout 9 health districts of Center Province. A coverage of 65.17% of the total population of 515,000 people in affected areas was attained, which is critical to the eventual control of the disease.
  
  
• In 2003, HKI-assisted projects expanded and improved, providing treatment to 451,283 people throughout 15 health districts of Center Province. A coverage of 70.3% of the total population of 641,964 in affected areas was attained.
  
  
• To accomplish the above, despite numerous challenges caused by co-endemicity with Loaisis (a blood filaria), the project put in place a system to administer Mectizan® in these co-endemic areas that has been recognized by other organizations as a model. Likewise, model educational, information and training materials have been developed specifically for effective management of side effects caused by high loa loa filarial loads.
  
  
• In 2003, a pilot project was designed and tested in one health district to train community distributors to distribute vitamin A supplements to at-risk children at the same time as they distribute Mectizan®. This successful pilot will be integrated into all HKI-assisted CDTI projects and eventually scaled up to other areas.
  
  
• Finally, HKI has laid the groundwork to reach an additional 760,934 people in 2004 by expanding our technical assistance into additional areas where Onchocerciasis assaults the population - into East Province and into the Extreme North Province.
  

:: Collaborations:

HKI works very closely at the national level with the Ministry of Health and the National Onchocerciais Task Force, which includes representatives from partner non-governmental development organizations (Sight Savers International, Carter Center, International Eye Foundation, Lions Club International Foundation and the Baha'i Agency for Social and Economic Development). At the project level, HKI works even more closely with the Provincial Delegation for Public Health and the 15 Health District teams to ensure program success. HKI also collaborates with the Mectizan® Donation Program of Merck for the Mectizan® supply and on management of side-effects.