Epidemiological, virological and clinical features of SARS-CoV-2 among individuals during the first wave in Cameroon: Baseline analysis for the EDCTP PERFECT-Study RIA2020EF-3000

In Cameroon, COVID-19 infection spread rapidly and nationwide, with up to 721 deaths reported. To the best of our knowledge, no study reported the on-theground data using a large patients’ dataset to give a comprehensive knowledge on COVID-19 pandemic in Cameroon. The objective of this study was to...

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Published inJournal of public health in Africa Vol. 13; no. 1; p. 7
Main Authors Fokam, Joseph, Takou, Désiré, Nka, Alex D., Ka’e, Aude C., Yagai, Bouba, Chenwi, Collins A., Semengue, Ezechiel N.J., Beloumou, Grâce A., Ndjeyep, Sandrine C.D., Abba, Aissatou, Pabo, Willy, Gouissi, Davy, Tchouaket, Michel C.T., Yatchou, Laeticia, Zam, Krystel, Mama, Lucien, Ekitti, Regine C., Fainguem, Nadine, Kamgaing, Rachel, Sosso, Samuel M., Ndembi, Nicaise, Colizzi, Vittorio, Perno, Carlo-Federico, Ndjolo, Alexis
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published PAGEPress Publications, Pavia, Italy 24.05.2022
AOSIS
Subjects
cameroon
covid-19
epidemiology
positivity
symptoms
viraemia
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Summary:In Cameroon, COVID-19 infection spread rapidly and nationwide, with up to 721 deaths reported. To the best of our knowledge, no study reported the on-theground data using a large patients’ dataset to give a comprehensive knowledge on COVID-19 pandemic in Cameroon. The objective of this study was to shade lights on the epidemiological, virological and clinical features of COVID-19 in the Cameroonian context. An observational study was conducted among symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals tested for SARS-CoV-2 by PCR on nasopharyngeal samples from April 22nd, 2020 to January 5th, 2021. Out of 14119 individuals (59.8% male), overall SARS-CoV-2 positivity was 12.7% (from 7.9% in 60 years, p10%) and was associated with the presence of symptoms and older age. Most of the infection is among young and asymptomatic individuals, suggesting the “track-and-test” strategy should target these potential transmitters.
Bibliography:Availability of data and materials: All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article.
Informed consent: Not applicable.
Publisher's note: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Ethics approval and consent to participate: This study obtained ethical approved from the Cameroon national committee for human health research (N°2020/05/1227/ CNERSH/SP). The research was conducted on anonymous samples in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki and the national regulations. All information, including, demographic and clinical data was recorded in an anonymized database, with limited access to unauthorized persons.
Contributions: JF, DT, ADN, ACK, BY, VC, CFP and AN conceived the study, designed the experiment, and initiated the paper; JF, DT, ADN, ACK, BY, CAC, ENJS, GAB, SCDN, MCTT, LY, KZ, LM, RCE, NF, RK, SMS performed the experiments and analysed the data; JF, DT, ADN, ACK, BY, VC, CFP, AN Interpreted the data; CAC, ENJS, GAB, SCDN, MCTT, AA, LY, KZ, WP, DG, LM, RCE, NF, RK, SMS revised the manuscript; All the co-authors approved the final version for submission.
ISSN:2038-9922
2038-9930
DOI:10.4081/jphia.2022.2142