Cameroon News

Yaounde - For the first time ever, a circulating variant poliovirus type 3 (cVDPV3) was fully sequenced in Cameroon, marking a major milestone in Africa’s efforts to detect and respond  faster to polio outbreaks. 

Poliovirus has three types: 1, 2, and 3. Although wild polio type 3 was declared eradicated in 2019, variant type 3 can still appear where immunity is low, making quick detection and response essential to contain outbreaks. 

Yaoundé – At 14, Eugène learned he was HIV-positive. The diagnosis turned his adolescence upside down, marked by doubt, fear, and stigma. “At that age, you don’t understand everything, but you feel different. I was afraid of how others would see me, afraid of the future,” he confides. Now 20, he is a student at the Faculty of Education and advocates for self-acceptance and equitable access to reproductive health services for young people living with HIV.

Mbalmayo, August 11, 2025 – The Ministry of Public Health of Cameroon (MINSANTE) convened a high-level strategic workshop from August 11 to 13, 2025, at the Mbalmayo International Conference Center. The objective was to develop the National Plan for Preparedness and Response to Yellow Fever Epidemics in Urban Areas for the period 2025-2028.

On July 25, 2025, the Palais de Verre Paul Biya in Yaounde, Cameroon, hosted a high-level seminar addressing the urgent need to regulate and tax unhealthy food products.

Cameroon is embarking on a transformative journey to revamp its emergency medical services (EMS) system, marking a significant milestone in public health. The Ministry of Public Health, with the unwavering support of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), has validated the 2024 evaluation report that sheds light on the critical state of emergency care across the nation.

Pretoria, South Africa – 20 May 2025 – On the occasion of the 53rd National Day of the Republic of Cameroon, Dr Matshidiso Rebecca Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa (2015-2024) was awarded the title of Officer of the National Order of Valour, one of the highest distinctions bestowed by the Government of Cameroon.

On Monday, January 24, 2022, Vanessa Tchouanzi, a high school teacher, attended the Cameroon-Comoros football match for the Africa Cup of Nations with her friend Véronique at the Olembe stadium in Yaounde. She still vividly recalls the tragic stampede that occurred. Caught in the crowd surge, Vanessa and Veronique lost consciousness but Vanessa was pulled away by a stranger whereas Veronique stayed in the crowd and was later taken to a nearer hospital where she died shortly afterward.

Yaounde – Ndzie Daniela and Ngah Daniel, twins, were the first children to receive the malaria vaccine when it was introduced in Cameroon on 22 January 2024. They have now received three doses of the vaccine and are both thriving. “My children are in excellent health. Since birth, they have never had malaria. Better still, I'd say they've never fallen sick,” says their mother Hélène Akono. “I must admit they've had a few teething problems, but nothing serious.”

Maroua – “At first, I felt itchy and scratched my body all the time, then my foot started to swell,” says Jacob, a 56-year-old farmer from Goudour in the far north region of Cameroon. “I was ashamed to go out in public. I covered my foot and everyone looked at me strangely. I couldn't even work normally anymore."

Yaoundé – Cameroon today launched the RTS,S malaria vaccine into its routine national immunization services, becoming the first country to do so outside the malaria vaccine pilot programme that was carried out in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi. The introduction comes as efforts gather pace to scale up vaccination against the disease in high risk areas in Africa.