Life

6, July 2016

Sexually transmitted diseases notably on the rise in the UK ⁰

British Health officials are warning of a dramatic rise in the sexually transmitted infections (STIs) of syphilis and gonorrhea in the United Kingdom since 2012. New figures published in a report by Public Health England (PHE) on Tuesday revealed that between 2012 and 2015, cases of syphilis rose by 76 percent, from 3,001 to 5,288, while gonorrhea infections had a 53-percent jump from 26,880 to 41,193 cases.

The report said that the diseases are believed to be notably on the rise among homosexual men, with gonorrhea particularly undergoing a 21-percent increase among “gay and bisexual men.” “We need to do more to raise awareness about STIs and how they can be prevented,” said Gwenda Hughes, head of STI surveillance at PHE, adding that, “It is also vital to ensure there is easy access to STI testing and treatment services that meet the needs of local populations.”

Hughes recommended regular tests and screening for HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) and STIs, and the use of protective condoms in sex acts. “These statistics should set alarm bells ringing about the availability of sexual health services for young people and men who have sex with men,” she added.

Natika Halil, the chief executive of the Family Planning Association in Britain, also voiced concern over the alarming situation, saying, “We are concerned by the increased diagnoses rates of gonorrhea and syphilis, particularly among men who have sex with men, and also with the considerable variation between different areas.”

She pointed out to a strong link that exists between poor sexual health, one sign of which is the high rates of STI diagnoses, and higher levels of deprivation. “Local authorities need to pay close attention to what is happening in their area and invest in prevention services to help bring down this still very high number of STIs,” Halil added.

Syphilis and gonorrhea are bacterial infections that can cause heart problems, blindness, paralysis or even death, if left untreated.

Presstv

5, July 2016

University of Bamenda raised 150 million FCFA for infrastructural development ⁰

Efforts by the University of Bamenda to step up its infrastructural development were boosted on July 2, 2016, with the launch of the University of Bamenda Development Fund, UBaDEF. The ceremony in the university campus at Bambili saw the collection of 150 million FCFA from North West elite and friends of the university. The University of Bamenda thus becomes the second State-owned higher educational institution in Cameroon to run a development fund after the University of Buea some years ago.

It was indeed a great moment during which guests demonstrated generosity towards the university that is in dire need of classrooms, an ICT Centre, Main Library, student hostels, multi-purpose sports complex, health centre, etc. The Pro-Chancellor, Prof. Dominique Mvogo, brought a message from the Minister of Higher Education, Jacques Fame Ndongo, commending what he described as “a brilliant initiative to supplement State subventions.”

It was all cheers for the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Therese Nkuo Akenji, who conceived the idea to create UBaDEF. The Vice Chancellor revisited the birth of the University in 2010, stressing its mission of teaching, research and service to the community. Prof. Therese Nkuo Akenji urged guests to stand by the institution whose 16,000 student and staff population requires huge investments to function properly.

She saluted the government, North West elite, friends of the institution and traditional rulers for offering land to the nation’s youngest State university. The chief launcher, Alhadji Baba Ahmadou Danpullo and co-launchers set the tone, giving cheerfully. Meanwhile, an independent Management Committee for UBaDEF was commissioned with Tumban Manfred at the helm. It has as mission to source private and public funds to meet the infrastructural and academic needs of the university.

Cameroon Tribune

4, July 2016

Adieu Professor Tazoacha Asonganyi ⁰

The late Professor Tazoacha Asonganyi had a PhD in Biochemistry in 1980 from the University of London (UK). He did his PhD research in a Laboratory at Gower’s Street some few meters from Dillon’s Bookshop London, which he visited on a regular basis. During the same period he also worked with a Negritude Community Group (“Headstart Books & Crafts” London N15) which dealt in books on the history of peoples of African origin.

These two contacts outside his area of specialization caused a profound change in his education and did influence him principally. He was a fan of Cheikh Anta Diop whose books and many others with the same thrust he read during that time. He taught in the Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences of the University of Yaoundé 1 since 1985, training medical students for over 30 years. He was a visiting lecturer at many universities and published in many international academic journals including some 90 peer-reviewed articles.

His scientific research interests were in Sleeping sickness/Trypanosomiasis, River blindness/Onchocerciasis, HIV/AIDS. Following the inception of multiparty politics in Cameroon in the early 1990s, he emerged and became Secretary General of the SDF from 1994-2005. He then became the Permanent Secretary of the opposition CNRR in 2004.

He parted ways with the SDF in 2006 and published over 100 articles in newspapers and other media analyzing the political situation in Cameroon and many other African countries. He observed elections for the Carter Center USA in Ghana, and for the National Democratic Institute (NDI) of Washington DC in Nigeria. He was one of the highly solicited guests on CRTV programs like Press Hour and MORNING SAFARI.

CRTV

2, July 2016

Yaounde: New National Reference Laboratory for Malaria research opens ⁰

The two storey edifice was inaugurated on Friday 1^st of July 2016 by the Minister of Public Health Andre Mama Fouda in the company of the French Secretary of State in charge of Development Andre Vallini; the French Ambassador to Cameroon Christine Robichon and the Director of the Cameroon Medical Research Centre Guy Vernet.

The laboratory which is situated at the Cameroon Medical Research Centre in Yaounde has been created in order to step up the fight against Malaria. It is equipped with modern scientific tools such as high resolution microscope. The National Reference Laboratory for Malaria Research Project was constructed with funding from the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Economy Planning and Regional Development, and the French Corporation.

CRTV

2, July 2016

CRTV: Charles Ndongo takes command ⁴

The newly appointed General Manager of the Cameroon Radio and Television Cooperation, Charles Pythagoras Ndongo and his deputy, Emmanuel Wongibe, have been installed into their functions.

The scantily attended ceremony took on Friday the 1^st of July 2016 at Studio 1 at Mballa II. The ceremony was chaired by the chairman of the CRTV board and Minister of Communication, Issa Bakary Tchiroma.

Rita Akana (Cameroon Concord News)

1, July 2016

Elechi Amadi Author of The Concubine dies at 82 ⁰

Elechi Amadi is no more. According to Thisday newspaper, he died on June 29, 2016 in hospital in Port Harcourt, Rivers State of Nigeria, of an undisclosed ailment at the age of 82. Reacting to the news, Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, said Amadi was “a consummate patriot, a great literary icon, a soldier’s soldier and development enthusiast.”

Eldred Jones, in “African Literature 1966-1967,” described the novelist as “a Nigerian author of plays and novels that are generally about African village life, customs, beliefs and religious practices, as they were before contact with the Western world.” Amadi is best remembered for his 1966 novel, “The Concubine,” which was described “an outstanding work of pure fiction.” His other works included “The Great Ponds,” “Isiburu,” “Sunset in Biafra,” “Dance of Johannesburg,” “Pepper Soup,” “The Road to Ibadan,” “The Slave,” “Estrangement,” “Les Grand Etangs,” and “The Woman of Calabar.”

Born in 1934 in Aluu, Rivers State, Amadi attended Government College, Umuahia, Survey School, Oyo and the University of Ibadan, where he obtained a degree in Physics and Mathematics in 1959. He was a land surveyor and later teacher in several schools, including the Nigerian Military School, Zaria from 1963–66. Amadi served in the Nigerian Army and remained there during the Nigerian Civil War, retiring as a Captain.

He also served in the Rivers State government as Permanent Secretary, Commissioner for Education and Commissioner for Lands and Housing. Elechi Amadi was a writer-in-residence and lecturer with the Rivers State College of Education (now Ignatius Ajuru University of Education), where he was Dean of Arts, Head of the Literature Department and Director of General Studies.

CAMTRIBUNE

30, June 2016

Yaounde: Public Health Minister launches European Union Project 48 ⁰

The Minister of Public Health, Andre Mama Fouda on the 29^th of June 2016, launched a European Union project aimed at improving on the management of epidemics. The three-year project launched in Yaounde will be operational in 11 countries along the Atlantic Coast of Africa. Apart from improving the management of crisis, the project will also reinforce surveillance and the alert systems.

Dubbed “Project 48”,the representative of the management team of the project, Marie Françoise Saron said the regional team to handle the project was being constituted by national experts. The experts will exchange notes during training sessions so as to be better equipped for the job.

Besong Esther Agbor with files from CRTV

29, June 2016

GCE Board Registrar en route to Bamenda as marking enters Day II ⁰

The Registrar of the Cameroon GCE Board has left Buea this morning for Bamenda, the chief city in the North West region as the marking session of the 2016 session of the General Certificate Examination enters Day II. Sir Humphrey Ekema Monono is expected to arrive Bamenda in just under 3 hours.

In a telephone conversation he had with Cameroon Concord News earlier today, Sir Monono revealed that the board operates marking centers in Bamenda and Buea. The astute manager added that 9 marking centers are in BUEA and 7 in Bamenda .

The GCE Board Registrar also noted that an exhaustive marking guide have been made available to all examiners. Humphrey Monono hinted that the board staged a mechanism for effective marking which was aimed at evaluating the state of preparedness of the examiners.

EWANG John, one of the GCE assessors who confirmed that the mechanism for effective marking had indeed been carried out said it was to discover the strength and weaknesses of the examiners so as to adjust them. More than 6000 examiners are expected to mark at least 200 scripts each within 9 and 10 days respectively.

By Besong Esther Agbor

29, June 2016

At graduation ceremony: Buea IVTC Director says vocational training promotes economic growth ⁰

The Intensive Vocational Training College Buea has graduated its joined 35th, 36th, and 37th batches of trainees amidst high unemployment rate in Cameroon. The graduation ceremony took place on Friday June 24, 2016 in Buea, Fako division of the South West Region. The over 400 graduates were trainees of the 2013, 2014 and 2015 academic years pending graduation from the vocational training center.

In an effort to promote the training of bilingual secretary ship as a major tool to emergence, the government of Cameroon through the Employment and Vocational Training Ministry created six (6) public vocational training centers nationwide. The Intensive Vocational Training Centre, IVTC, Buea is the lone English center in Cameroon with five others spread across the country. The director of the center Becky Effoe Limunga revealed that vocational training promotes positive work ethics and enhance economic growth which is a prerequisite to gainful employment, asserting that, it was a golden opportunity for the public and employers to make material use of the facilities and training programs offered.

The South West Regional delegate for Employment and Vocational Training urged the students to meet up with contemporary challenges of the professional. The students were schooled on computerized accountancy, bilingual secretary ship and other lucrative courses. It is a one year training program upon which the trainee is issued an academic diploma.

Cham Victor Bama (Cameroon Concord News)

28, June 2016

No more secrecy about handling and treatment of patients with HIV in Cameroon ⁰

The decision by the Minister for Public Health to systemize the screening of all patients who turn up for consultations in all public hospitals for their HIV status has raised quite some dust within the national healthcare community. Even if the Minister did not say it directly, it will virtually be compulsory to obtain the status of each patient reporting for any health problem. This move is revolutionary by the fact that all the secrecy about the handling and treatment of patients with HIV infections will henceforth be removed, making it easier to know who carries the virus and those who do not and in so doing better manage the situation because of a better knowledge of the situation and the availability of statistics.

One must sincerely observe that strategies to fight HIV/AIDS have not been very successful seen from the little impact various initiatives have had in the final result. The desire to keep patient’s condition private by preventing them from stigmatization has not helped matters at the end of the day. Policy makers cannot do effective planning because they do not have the necessary statistics on which to build a robust strategy. This is because for too long many citizens have been left to go about without even knowing their condition while carriers of the virus, unknown to them continue to spread it simply because they were not aware.

As long as the HIV/AIDS management chain was not opened up and continued to be run in near secrecy, results, especially the mass positive results expected, could never be attained That is why even with very efficient systems and information campaigns, the scourge has continued to develop in disturbing proportions. Moreover, an early discovery of one’s serology status will help manage the condition and obviously prevent the virus from developing into more disastrous condition of AIDS with its multifarious accompanying afflictions.

Early detection can also help minimize costs, especially for the dispossessed segments of the population from within which many cases of infection are registered. Many Human Rights groups will obviously jump into the scene to condemn violation of privacy. But the gravity of the situation posed by the growing spread of HIV/AIDS and, above all, the need to preserve the health of Cameroonians from the scourge of this killer disease justify the government decision. The population must, in its own interest, adhere to this salutary initiative which will certainly have an immediate impact on the management of the disease.

Cameroon Tribune