Prevalence of Inherited Hemoglobin Disorders and Relationships with Anemia and Micronutrient Status among Children in Yaoundé and Douala, Cameroon.

Information on the etiology of anemia is necessary to design effective anemia control programs. Our objective was to measure the prevalence of inherited hemoglobin disorders (IHD) in a representative sample of children in urban Cameroon, and examine the relationships between IHD and anemia. In a cluster survey of children 12-59 months of age (n = 291) in Yaoundé and Douala, we assessed hemoglobin (Hb), malaria infection, and plasma indicators of inflammation and micronutrient status. Hb S was detected by HPLC, and α⁺thalassemia (3.7 kb deletions) by PCR. Anemia (Hb < 110 g/L), inflammation, and malaria were present in 45%, 46%, and 8% of children. A total of 13.7% of children had HbAS, 1.6% had HbSS, and 30.6% and 3.1% had heterozygous and homozygous α⁺thalassemia. The prevalence of anemia was greater among HbAS compared to HbAA children (60.3 vs. 42.0%, p = 0.038), although mean Hb concentrations did not differ, p = 0.38). Hb and anemia prevalence did not differ among children with or without single gene deletion α⁺thalassemia. In multi-variable models, anemia was independently predicted by HbAS, HbSS, malaria, iron deficiency (ID; inflammation-adjusted ferritin <12 µg/L), higher C-reactive protein, lower plasma folate, and younger age. Elevated soluble transferrin receptor concentration (>8.3 mg/L) was associated with younger age, malaria, greater mean reticulocyte counts, inflammation, HbSS genotype, and ID. IHD are prevalent but contribute modestly to anemia among children in urban Cameroon

Legal pluralism in Cameroon from 1884 to 1929 : essay on legal living together

Le destin juridique commun construit avec le temps et dans une histoire mouvementée rend atypique l’expérience camerounaise de pluralisme juridique qui résulte de coexistences multiformes plus ou moins rattachées à l’organisation de l’État du Cameroun. Dans ce pays où, à la suite de la colonisation, des systèmes traditionnels et modernes se sont croisés en donnant lieu à une existence simultanée de cultures juridiques venant de divers horizons. Cette rencontre de cultures, et même de civilisations, offre l’occasion d’apprécier la vie juridique commune qui en a résulté. À l’observation, les faiblesses du pluralisme étatique ont conduit à l’échec de l’acculturation, la coexistence étant de façade non seulement entre systèmes étatiques, mais aussi entre ceux-ci et les systèmes traditionnels. Depuis l’administration étrangère, les systèmes romano-germanique et de Common Law sont, en effet, restés mal agencés, allant d’une juxtaposition qui n’a pas toujours été bien coordonnée à une superposition établissant une hégémonie de l’un sur l’autre. La même inégalité se traduit dans la coexistence entre cultures juridiques modernes et traditionnelles, les premières étant au cœur de l’organisation du pluralisme juridique, tandis que les secondes sont affectées par des entorses, amenuisant leur existence dans le pluralisme juridique qui se trouve affaibli. Pour retrouver les lettres de noblesse d’un pluralisme juridique sérieux, une autre organisation serait à souhaiter afin que le pluralisme juridique soit mieux à l’écoute du Cameroun. Pour ce faire, l’organisation qui a eu cours jusque-là, ayant tendance à sublimer la juridicité étatique, pourrait être redresséeThe common legal destiny built over time and in a turbulent history makes the Cameroonian experience of legal pluralism atypical, which results from multifaceted coexistence more or less linked to the organization of the State of Cameroon. In this country where, following colonization, traditional and modern systems have crossed, giving rise to a simultaneous existence of legal cultures coming from various horizons. This meeting of cultures, and even of civilizations, offers the opportunity to appreciate the common legal life that has resulted from it. On observation, the weaknesses of state pluralism have led to the failure of acculturation, with a seemingly coexistence not only between state systems, but also between them and traditional systems. Since the foreign administration, the Romano-Germanic and Common Law systems have, in fact, remained poorly organized, with in one sense, one next to the other, such that these legal system have not always been well coordinated and in another sense, one above the other. The same inequality is reflected in the coexistence between modern and traditional legal cultures, the former being at the heart of the organization of legal pluralism, while the latter are affected by sprains, reducing their existence in legal pluralism which is weakened. To regain the letters of nobility of serious legal pluralism, another organization would be desirable so that legal pluralism is more responsive to Cameroo

Prevalence of Inherited Hemoglobin Disorders and Relationships with Anemia and Micronutrient Status among Children in Yaoundé and Douala, Cameroon.

Information on the etiology of anemia is necessary to design effective anemia control programs. Our objective was to measure the prevalence of inherited hemoglobin disorders (IHD) in a representative sample of children in urban Cameroon, and examine the relationships between IHD and anemia. In a cluster survey of children 12-59 months of age (n = 291) in Yaoundé and Douala, we assessed hemoglobin (Hb), malaria infection, and plasma indicators of inflammation and micronutrient status. Hb S was detected by HPLC, and α⁺thalassemia (3.7 kb deletions) by PCR. Anemia (Hb < 110 g/L), inflammation, and malaria were present in 45%, 46%, and 8% of children. A total of 13.7% of children had HbAS, 1.6% had HbSS, and 30.6% and 3.1% had heterozygous and homozygous α⁺thalassemia. The prevalence of anemia was greater among HbAS compared to HbAA children (60.3 vs. 42.0%, p = 0.038), although mean Hb concentrations did not differ, p = 0.38). Hb and anemia prevalence did not differ among children with or without single gene deletion α⁺thalassemia. In multi-variable models, anemia was independently predicted by HbAS, HbSS, malaria, iron deficiency (ID; inflammation-adjusted ferritin <12 µg/L), higher C-reactive protein, lower plasma folate, and younger age. Elevated soluble transferrin receptor concentration (>8.3 mg/L) was associated with younger age, malaria, greater mean reticulocyte counts, inflammation, HbSS genotype, and ID. IHD are prevalent but contribute modestly to anemia among children in urban Cameroon

Roadside surveys of drinking and driving in Cameroon

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of drinking and driving on roadways in urban areas and highways in Cameroon, and to determine the associations between drinking and driving and socio-demographic factors.METHODS: A cross-sectional study of motor vehicle drivers was performed on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays between May and September 2020 with three driver groups: (1) random motor vehicle drivers (including riders) on major highways, (2) drivers recruited at car stations in Yaoundé, and (3) at fuel stations in Douala. Alcohol was measured using breathalyzers, and a questionnaire collected socio-demographic data.RESULTS: In total, 2402 motor vehicle drivers were asked to participate in the study and 1701 (70.8%) gave informed consent. The vast majority (98.6%) were men. Drivers aged 30-39 years constituted the largest age group on highways and in Yaoundé, whereas 18-29 years was the largest age group in Douala. The highest prevalence of alcohol was observed among drivers in Yaoundé, which included mainly clandestine taxi car drivers and motorcycle taxi riders, where about 30% had blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) above the legal limit of 0.08%. The proportion with BACs above the legal limit was about 6% among the drivers in Douala, which included mainly motorcycle taxi riders, and about 4% among drivers on highways.CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that drinking and driving is a major traffic safety problem on Cameroonian public roads, especially among motorcycle taxi riders and clandestine taxi drivers in towns, which represent the major mass transportation means in the country. Drinking and driving education and legislation should be better developed and enforced in order to reduce the number road traffic crashes.</p

Prevalence of Inherited Hemoglobin Disorders and Relationships with Anemia and Micronutrient Status among Children in Yaoundé and Douala, Cameroon

Information on the etiology of anemia is necessary to design effective anemia control programs. Our objective was to measure the prevalence of inherited hemoglobin disorders (IHD) in a representative sample of children in urban Cameroon, and examine the relationships between IHD and anemia. In a cluster survey of children 12–59 months of age (n = 291) in Yaoundé and Douala, we assessed hemoglobin (Hb), malaria infection, and plasma indicators of inflammation and micronutrient status. Hb S was detected by HPLC, and α+thalassemia (3.7 kb deletions) by PCR. Anemia (Hb &lt; 110 g/L), inflammation, and malaria were present in 45%, 46%, and 8% of children. A total of 13.7% of children had HbAS, 1.6% had HbSS, and 30.6% and 3.1% had heterozygous and homozygous α+thalassemia. The prevalence of anemia was greater among HbAS compared to HbAA children (60.3 vs. 42.0%, p = 0.038), although mean Hb concentrations did not differ, p = 0.38). Hb and anemia prevalence did not differ among children with or without single gene deletion α+thalassemia. In multi-variable models, anemia was independently predicted by HbAS, HbSS, malaria, iron deficiency (ID; inflammation-adjusted ferritin &lt;12 µg/L), higher C-reactive protein, lower plasma folate, and younger age. Elevated soluble transferrin receptor concentration (&gt;8.3 mg/L) was associated with younger age, malaria, greater mean reticulocyte counts, inflammation, HbSS genotype, and ID. IHD are prevalent but contribute modestly to anemia among children in urban Cameroon