Department of Noun : Sickle Cell Awareness and Free Electrophoresis Campaign

The Rural Health Association (ASSAR) has launched the DREPA-Noun project in the town of Foumban since October 2023 and a Major Screening Campaign coupled with Awareness on how to live with Sickle Cell Disease from February 15 to 16, 2024, in order to to reduce the prevalence rate of this disease in the Noun department and in the West Region.

In Cameroon, sickle cell disease is studied and monitored particularly by the Study Group of Sickle Cell Disease in Cameroon (GEDREPACAM) which is responsible for free screening and monitoring of patients in several hospitals in Cameroon in the Littoral and Center regions, but also in support certain civil society organizations in their objectives of fighting this disease. To achieve this objective, Dr Njimogna Loukouman Akim, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of ASSAR, had launched a quest for partnership, which allowed him to enter into contact with several associations in the Noun department initially and then with GEDREPACAM last January.

GEDREPACAM is a learned society based in Bastos, Yaoundé, which aims to bring together professionals (natural and legal persons) concerned with all aspects of sickle cell anemia and other hemoglobinopathies, to promote research and exchanges and promote prevention, screening and management of sickle cell disease and other hemoglobinopathies.

“During this major campaign to fight against Sickle Cell Disease, GEDREPACAM in addition to providing us with 200 hemoglobin electrophoresis tests, soaps for people screened at the Foumban District Hospital; accompanied us with three specialist staff in the field of sickle cell anemia, including a nurse responsible for monitoring children with sickle cell disease, a Medical Analysis Technician responsible for screening and a doctor responsible for medical monitoring” listed Dr Njimogna Loukouman Akim, President of the Board of Administration of ASSAR. And to add “The GEDREPACAM team was accompanied by SINGBO GERBIN the Representative of the Pierre Fabre Foundation which finances the Project to Combat Sickle Cell Disease in Central Africa and Ivory Coast. This foundation is the one which finances the project to fight against Sickle Cell Disease in Cameroon by our partner GEDREPACAM. If this campaign has taken shape, it is also thanks to local partners including the Association for Children, Education and Solidarity, abbreviated APEES, led by Ngoupayou Njoya Awal, the Cercle des Professionnels Medico Sanitaire, abbreviated CPMS, led by Dapen Ahmadou, Senior Nurse; the Association for Education, Reintegration, Agriculture and Transformation, Gender Protection and the Environment abbreviated A-ERAPRO, directed by Gisèle NGOUNGOURE, and the Observateur, a written and online press which supports us in communication.”

The team which carried out the activities during the two days is made up of the three members of the GEDREPACAM already mentioned, the laboratory technicians members of ASSAR and its local partners, two doctors members of the ASSAR and a clinical psychologist who regularly accompanies us in psychosocial care.

During this health campaign, 192 screening tests were used for a total of 183 people tested. In total, 136 people tested AA, and 42 AS people, 1 SS person (child under 5 years old) for whom the request for confirmation of the result by a quantification test was prescribed.

The success of this activity was not the easiest, as declared by Dr Njimogna Loukouman Akim, who discusses the challenges encountered: “The difficulties were significant, ranging from the preparation of the activity to the realization of the activity. The biggest difficulty was found in terms of finances, because to carry out such an activity, funds are needed for logistics, refreshments, and coffee breaks. Fortunately, our partner GEDREPACAM accompanied us with water and snacks. The other difficulty encountered was that of mobilizing participants, because some people only received the information on the last day, which forced us to continue the activity until 5 p.m. even though it was planned. “finish before 1 p.m..”

“As a reminder, the electrophoresis tests were given to us by GEDREPACAM as part of the agreement signed with ASSAR which stipulates that GEDREPACAM will support us each time we request it in our awareness-raising, screening and monitoring activities for sickle cell patients. ”concluded Dr Njimogna Loukouman Akim, Chairman of the Board of Directors of ASSAR

 Adèle BITGA