Global HIV/AIDS

Cameroon

HIV/AIDS in Cameroon

5.3% Estimated Prevalence
(Age 15–49)
37,000 Estimated Deaths (2009)
330,000 Estimated Orphans
76,228 Reported Number of People Receiving ART (2009)
270,000 Estimated Number of People Needing ART

SOURCE:
UNAIDS Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic, November, 2010

HIV/AIDS Assets and Strategic Focus

The CDC Division of Global HIV/AIDS Program and the Government of Cameroon began a partnership in 2008 to support building sustainable public health capacity and infrastructure.

Maximizing Unique Government-to-Government Relationships with the Ministry of Health
CDC is a trusted science-based technical agency with in-house expertise. CDC provides technical leadership and direct assistance to the Ministry of Health (MoH) to complement the community-level, civil society approach of USAID and to develop sustainable public health capacity through personnel, infrastructure, systems, and services.

Strengthening Public Health Systems
CDC, drawing from extensive experience building public health systems in the United States, provides technical leadership and direct assistance to the MoH to strengthen epidemiology, surveillance, laboratory, operations research and workforce capacity - essential components for strong sustainable public health systems.

Notable Accomplishments

Laboratory Capacity

CDC provided technical assistance to the MoH to implement a National Strategic Laboratory Plan and, as part of World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa’s (WHO–AFRO) Laboratory Accreditation Scheme, launched a laboratory information management system pilot project designed to permit effective information management and ensure that patients′ lab test results are accurate, accessible, timely, secure, and confidential. The system will provides a solid foundation for comprehensive laboratory management to assure accurate, timely specimen tracking, reporting & testing.

Monitoring and Evaluation

CDC contributed to the improvement of Cameroon’s HIV/AIDS surveillance system, including providing technical assistance in developing protocols for conducting a national ANC clinic-based HIV sentinel survey and in developing the protocol for formative research among men who have sex with men.
CDC supported improvement of the national HIV/AIDS Monitoring and Evaluation system by enhancing its ability to use strategic information for program and policy development.

Improving Maternal and Child Health

CDC provided laboratory support and technical assistance to the national Early Infant Diagnosis (EID) program, including support for 78 EID sites in the four regions of the country.

Improving Blood Health

CDC supported the revision of existing blood transfusion policies and guidelines, the creation of Hospital Transfusion Committees and provided equipment to support the functioning of high volume blood banks.