News of TDDA initiative supporting border staff training, standardized operating procedures and cross-border collaboration.
Epidemics are frequent in Cameroon, with outbreaks of cholera, bacterial meningitis, influenza, measles, yellow fever and poliomyelitis suffered in recent years. Now with the additional threat of COVID-19, greater control over the spread of infectious diseases across Cameroon’s border is key step to improving to health security.
Sharing borders with Chad, Central African Republic, the Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, standardized procedures and cross-border collaboration are vital to protect the health of Cameroonians and neighbouring populations alike.
TDDA recently supported the training of heads of border health posts on disease surveillance at points of entry. From 25-27 May, the 15 newly-appointed heads of post were trained on the national guidelines for the identification, care and transfer of sick travellers. They were also provided with documented Standardized Operating Procedures, developed by TDDA, to assist them in their mission to combat the threat of disease transmission between countries in the region.
For one of the border health officials who benefited from the training, the importance of this work is clear. “This TDDA initiative has allowed Cameroon not only to adopt national guidelines, but also to implement procedures for cross-border interventions and train personnel capable of preventing and responding to public health emergencies such as COVID.”
“FCDO's support through the TDDA project is a boon for Cameroon and helps enable our country to better protect itself against epidemics”, adds Professor Omer Njajou, TDDA’s Cameroon country coordinator.