From April to October 2020, EpiLinks worked with Action Contre la Faim (ACF), to support Cameroon’s Ministry of Health in its fight against the COVID-19 epidemic.
Activities focused on the health district of Djoungolo, the most populous district of Yaoundé and then concentrating the largest number of confirmed cases and contacts. EpiLinks has contributed to the establishment and improvement of practices concerning all COVID-19 prevention and response activities:
- Early detection: support for active case finding in the community
- Investigation and case management: support for the investigation of suspected cases by the Rapid Response and Investigation Teams
- Contact tracing: support for all activities of the Community Contact tracing Teams
- Outreach and communication: Infection Prevention and Control (PCI) measures in the community and in health facilities
- COVID-19 diagnosis: analysis of the screening strategy and recommendations, in a context of declining COVID-19 alert and a change in diagnostic strategy
To carry out these activities, EpiLinks has developed a range of resources including:
- Operational documents (technical briefs, SOPs, algorithms, classification of alerts, databases)
- Information Education Communication (IEC) tools for communities and health workers
- Training modules for intervention teams and contact tracing teams
- Situation analyses leading to operational recommendations
A handover document for the Ministry of Health has been developed, which includes the various lines of intervention carried out, and the tools produced and used in the field.
