Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa with a population of nearly 31 million people. Cameroon is often referred to as "Africa in miniature" for its geological, linguistic, and cultural diversity. The Republic of Cameroon was established in January 1960 after it gained independence from France.
Location of Cameroon in Africa
Simultaneously, the country’s life expectancy is one of the lowest around the globe at less than 60 years; Africa still is the one continent where the majority of the countries with the shortest life expectancy are located. Still, life expectancy in Cameroon is increasing, however, the country’s median age in the last couple of years was also quite low.
Understanding the reasons why people die helps with the understanding of how they lived, in order to improve health services and reduce preventable deaths in every country, responding effectively to changing circumstances. The leading causes of death are statistical estimates based on available data.
Cameroon shares common challenges with neighboring Central African countries. People have limited access to health care providers, and especially in rural areas. The reduction of disease and bacterial infection is progressing, but death rates are still high.
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Conflict and corruption are important factors to consider when exploring these 10 facts about life expectancy in Cameroon. Bribery and nepotism are creating problems for reaching economic goals with inconsistently paid worker’s salaries, often without earned overtime pay. Active work toward reducing corruption and conflict is vital to the improvement of life expectancy in Cameroon.
Fundamental to the improvement of life expectancy in Cameroon is to continue developing strategies for managing the fallout from conflict in neighboring countries. Ongoing conflicts have closed down trade routes, markets and schools. Responding to the protection and shelter of refugees has diverted aid and is contributing to the already low life expectancy of Cameroonians.
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Challenges in Healthcare Access
Limited access to health care is a challenge for Cameroonians. There were 1.1 doctors and 7.8 nurses and midwives per 10,000 population, with rural areas having the greatest need.
With the goal of improving life expectancy by identifying needs and gaps in the health care system, Cameroon set a national strategic development plan in motion. The most recent data available showed an unequal distribution of health care providers in 2010. Between 2006 and 2008, the implementation of an emergency plan to train and recruit more health care workers helped to offset a large number of health care workers aging out of the workforce.
Impact of HIV/AIDS
HIV/AIDS has dealt the greatest blow to life expectancy in Cameroon. In 2018, there were 23,000 new HIV infections, a decrease from 36,000 in 2010. Since then, the death rate has dropped 19 percent to 18,000. In 2018, 59 percent of HIV positive women and 47 percent of HIV positive men received treatment.
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Tuberculosis and Co-infections
Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS often occur as co-infections. A systematic data collection and review of medical records for a 93-month period between 2010 and 2017 revealed that the co-infection rate in the Fako division was alarmingly high at 194 cases per 100,000 population. The good news is that the study revealed a high treatment success rate with 76.4 percent of the patients cured.
Malaria Prevalence
Health care facilities have seen a reduction in cases to one per 2,000 population, treating 3.3 to 3.7 million cases per year, a reduction of 24 percent as of the year 2017. Insect control measures through the distribution of over 20 million insecticide-treated mosquito nets and the strategic spraying of DDT have significantly lowered the risk of contracting the disease.
However, the situation is still out of control. With 16 identified primary and secondary strains of the plasmodium parasite and up to 52 strains altogether, mutation and resistance to drug treatments and insecticides is an ongoing problem.
Malaria distribution worldwide
Bacterial and Respiratory Infections
Bacterial lower respiratory infections and co-infections are examples of the need for better diagnostic tools for the tracking, management and treatment of illnesses that impact life expectancy in Cameroon. Few studies tracking the number of cases country-wide are available, but a 2019 hospital-based review study of tested cultures from 141 adult patients with symptoms showed that pneumonia and influenza are most prevalent. Fourteen out of 61 patients had co-infections, with influenza implicated in 12 out of 61 cases.
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Childhood Vulnerability to Infections
The youngest children are the most vulnerable to bacterial infection. An earlier hospital-based review study revealed more tangible information about the cause of death for children under 5 years of age. The study gathered and examined medical records for 812 children who died between 2006 and 2012. Communicable and parasitic diseases, respiratory diseases, sepsis and nutritional deficiencies related to being too sick to eat were responsible for 71.5 percent of the deaths.
Humanitarian Aid and Food Security
Conflict has forced farmers to abandon their fields, taking away jobs in agriculture and creating further limits on already limited natural resources. The European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations have increased funding since 2013.
In 2019, Cameroon spent $19.55 million with the goal of reducing dependence on aid through supporting the immediate needs of food security, safe drinking water, sanitation and access to primary health care. The Joint Humanitarian Response Plan for 2019 requested $299 million to assist 2.3 million people in Cameroon. Of this money, $29.5 million went to food security, $3.5 million went to nutrition requirements, $3.2 million went to shelter and non-food items and $1.8 million went to health care requirements.
Economic Challenges
A roller-coaster economy directly impacts life expectancy by creating financial limits on the quality of life for citizens of Cameroon. Conflict in the C.A.R., the war against Boko Haram, labor disputes over wages and working conditions, corruption and falling tax revenue all add context to these 10 facts about life expectancy in Cameroon.
The good news is that the National Anti-corruption Commission, and other such agencies working with the government, have helped restore 375 billion CFA francs to the government coffers. The nation’s economy grew 4.1 percent in 2019, but inflation increased to 2.4 percent. Cameroon’s budget has decreased in recent years as lower oil prices have impacted its chief source of revenue. The government persists in engaging foreign investors for the improvement of infrastructure and to enhance its economic footprint.
These 10 facts about life expectancy in Cameroon indicate the country’s challenges in maintaining a high life expectancy for its people.
| Indicator | Value | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Life Expectancy at Birth | Under 60 years | N/A |
| HIV Prevalence (People living with HIV) | 540,000 | 2018 |
| New HIV Infections | 23,000 | 2018 |
| Tuberculosis Treatment Coverage | 53% | N/A |
| Malaria Cases (per 2,000 population) | 1 | 2017 |
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