Cameroon recorded 4,000 deaths from malaria in 2021, according to updated figures released on Monday by the Ministry of Public Health, on the occasion of World Malaria Day.
Transmitted to humans by the bite of a female mosquito of the Anopheles genus, malaria represented a prevalence rate of 24%, a mortality rate of 14%, 50% of hospitalizations and 30% of outpatient consultations, during the period studied, according to the same source. Patients with this disease are mostly children under 5 years old and pregnant women.
Despite a slight decline in Cameroon, malaria is still considered by local authorities to be a major public health problem.
Last March, the Cameroonian government launched a vast advocacy campaign aimed at mobilizing resources for a more effective fight once morest malaria.
Called “Stop malaria, let’s act now”, this campaign, initiated by the first lady Chantal Biya, aims to encourage the effective involvement of leaders and decision-makers at all levels in the promotion of public health through environmental management. , sanitation of residential areas as well as support for improving the hygiene of populations.
Cameroon is ranked by the World Health Organization as the 11th country most affected by malaria in the world.
