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Malaria prevention in the Buea health district in Cameroon: factors influencing Mosquito bed net use in households

FHL Kamga, P Nde-Fon, C. Morfaw, NDS Nsagha

 

Abstract

Background: Insecticide treated bed nets (ITNs), though proven to be effective in preventing malaria will have little impact unless people sleep under them. Several studies have shown that owned ITNs are usually not used and that ITN use is influenced by several factors that vary between communities.
Objective: To investigate the factors influencing the use of mosquito bed nets in households in the Buea Health District (BHD) in Cameroon.
Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study with two-stage cluster sampling included 420 households from 35 sites. Questionnaires adapted from the Malaria Indicator Survey were used. CSPro 4.1 and Epi info 3.5.3 were used to create database and analyze respectively.
Results: ITN ownership in the BHD was high (92.6%; 95% CI: 89.6%-94.9%) but ITN use was less than average (41.2%; 95% CI: 39.2%-43.3%). ITN use was least likely in the age group 5-15 years (P<0.01), in educated individuals (P<0.01) and in households with less than one ITN for two persons (P<0.01). White ITNs were less likely to be used (P<0.01). Conclusion: There is a gap between ITN ownership and use in the malaria holoendemic BHD and ITN use is associated with age of individual, level of education, colour of ITNs and household net density. Use of the highly owned ITNs could be increased by targeting the least protected 5-15 years age group and schooling individuals; by promoting school-based education on ITN use.

Keywords: Insecticide-treated nets, malaria, Buea Health District

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Malaria prevention in the Buea health district in Cameroon factors influencing Mosquito bed net use in households

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Current antibiotic susceptibility profile of the bacteria associated with Surgical wound infections in the Buea health district in Cameroon

JN Palle, N Bassah, HLF Kamga, G Nkwelang, JF Akoachere, E Mbianda, UG Nwarie, AL Njunda, NJC Assob, GH Ekane, M Ngowe Ngowe

 

Abstract

Background: Most surgical wounds seen in clinical practice in the Buea Health District, Cameroon are infected prior to arrival or while they are in the hospital. Sometimes the infection necessitates a combination of local wound site measures and systemic antibiotherapy to properly manage the patient.
Objective: To identify the current antibiotic susceptibility profile of the common germs that cause surgical wound infections in the Buea Health District of Cameroon.
Methods: A total of 2120 specimens comprising swabs from burns, ulcers, open or post-operative wounds were collected from hospitalized patients attending health institutions in Buea. The samples were collected from different anatomic sites of the patients. Cultures were effected from the specimens and bacteria isolated from infected wounds using standard microbiological techniques. Antibiotic susceptibility of the different isolates was determined.
Results: Majority (79.8%) of the wounds were infected with pathogenic bacteria. The germs globally showed multi resistant patterns to commonly used antibiotics in the study area, especially to co-trimoxazol, doxycycline, chloramphemicol, ampicilline and aztreonam. However appreciable sensitivity was noted to ofloxacillin, perflacin, and ceftriazone.
Conclusion: This study has revealed ofloxacin as the only antibiotic to which all the isolated bacteria from infected wounds were sensitive in the study area.

Keywords: Wound infection, Antibiotic susceptibility profile, Buea Health District, Cameroon

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Current antibiotic susceptibility profile of the bacteria associated with Surgical wound infections in the Buea health district in Cameroon