The government of Cameroon, through the Ministry of Public Health , has just updated its risk communication and community engagement plan  to break the transmission chains and mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in the country.

“To continue to insist on the respect of prevention measures, to accentuate the sensitisation of the population in order to maintain an optimal level of vigilance and to avoid new outbreaks of the Covid-19 epidemic in our country: this is the interest of the revision of the CREC plan which, in order to be effective in its implementation, must be adapted to the context”, indicates the Ministry of public health.

To do this, the various sectoral actors involved in the response against Covid-19 have developed messages and selected “adapted” communication media during a workshop held from 26 to 29 July in Mfou, capital of the Mefou and Afamba division. The aim was to organise all communication interventions (crawl, TV and radio spots, microprograms, posters, leaflets, etc.) intended to promote screening, vaccination and compliance with prevention measures as part of an awareness campaign, we learn. This revision comes at a time when the latest epidemiological reports indicate a “slight resurgence” of Covid-19 cases, after a two-month lull.

On Friday, the Health Minister, Manaouda Malachie, declared on national radio that Cameroon has recorded 95 new cases of Covid-19 since 20 July. No additional deaths have however been reported, he said. All this “requires appropriate interventions that take into account the adjustments made in the response, while integrating the “One Health” approach,” according to this ministerial department. This approach aims to improve health and well-being by preventing risks and mitigating the effects of crises that arise from the interface between humans, animals and their ecosystems.

CREC has been identified as one of the pillars of the Covid-19 response. It refers to the processes and approaches used to mobilise and systematically communicate with individuals and communities to empower them to promote healthy behaviours and prevent the spread of infectious diseases in public health situations, such as the current outbreak of the new coronavirus.