Typhoid fever is a communicable disease transmitted by the bacteria Salmonella typhi, related to serotype paratyphi A, B and C. The disease is a significant health concern in most developing countries especially Cameroon. Objectives: The study aimed at assessing the risk factors associated to typhoid fever in children (0-18 years) attending the “Deo Gratias” hospital in Douala. Method: A hospital based cross sectional study from August to September 2018 was carried out in children aged 0-18 years suffering from typhoid fever at the Deo gratias Catholic hospital. Widal slide agglutination and stool culture were the diagnostic test used. Positive confirmed cases were administered questionnaires to evaluate the level of knowledge, attitude and practice toward the disease. Data obtained from respondents was analyzed by descriptive statistics. One-way ANOVA and means comparison using Tukey’s test (α = 0.05) was performed to check whether the population of respondents differed significantly across risk factor practices. Results were finally presented on bar charts, tables and pie chart. Results: Out of 64 patients tested for typhoid, 44 (68.75 %) were confirmed positive. Typhoid fever was more prevalent in females (52.3 %) than in males (47.7 %), with a high proportion in the ages 5-9 years (38.6 %). A significant difference was observed in population of respondents across risk factor practices. Conclusion: Water quality have a great impact on the burden of typhoid fever among children. The identification of risk factors associated to the disease is of great importance in the development of rational control strategies of the disease.

Introduction: COVID-19 (coronavirus) has become a global threat to the human population. The virus which originated from China in December, 2019 has swept across continents in the world. Cameroon has been one of the countries with a high infectious rate. Lack of awareness plays a major role in the rise of COVID-19 cases. Studies have shown that there exists a strong correlation between the perception of a disease and a ready compliance to health recommendations. Objective: This paper studied the awareness and perceptions by the general population of Cameroon on the existence and spread of COVID-19. Methods: The study involved a qualitative survey designed by online questionnaires which were made available to the population of Cameroon through e-mails and ‘WhatsApp’. The survey included the perception of the origin and existence of the COVID-19 virus, its mode of transmission, preventive and control measures. The data obtained from respondents were analysed by descriptive statistics. The data were entered in a spread sheet, Microsoft Excel and normality determined. One-way ANOVA and means comparison using Tukey’s test (α = 0.05) was performed to check whether the perception of respondents differed significantly. Results: A total of 573 respondents were obtained. From the analysed results, a greater proportion of the respondents (P˂ 0.05) were aware of the COVID 19 existence, transmission and preventive strategies. This knowledge could lead to a reduction in the spread of the disease. Conclusion: Our findings suggested that there’s more need for public sensitisation of the virus especially its method of transmission, control and prevention.

Insect utilisation and its products have gained significant attention. The black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens), a common edible insect, plays an important role in various processes. Its applications represent breakthroughs in addressing challenges across sectors such as the food industry, agriculture, and health, areas that are crucial for sustainable development. This systematic review focuses on linking Black Soldier Fly (BSF) applications to sustainable development goals (SDGs). This link can help in making effective policy in the BSF farming sector within the paradigm of the SDGs and their respective targets. In generating this paper, a total of 93 documents were reviewed, comprising 73 articles, 15 reviews, and 5 book chapters from a literature search from some English databases (Web of Science, ResearchGate, Semantic Scholar, and Google Scholar) exploring the potential of BSF rearing in achieving the SDGs. The results showed that BSF can contribute to attaining 11 SDGs (1,2,3,5,6,7,10,12,13,14, and 15) via its products or services.

Entomotherapy is fast becoming popular based on the ubiquitous nature of insects. The use of insects in whole form or their derived products is gaining ground worldwide. Insects being ubiquitous makes their extracts easily available for use. Just as therapeutic agents, entomoceuticals, which are derived from pharmaceutical products from insects, play an important role in health improvement. Edible insects have been shown to be important sources for most entomoceuticals. Some species of these insects possess systems capable of generating numerous bioactive components and metabolites, which have major value in the pharmaceutical industry. Although these insects are found in almost all continents of the world, including continents like Europe and Asia, often using them in medicine, less attention has been focused on their use in therapy in most parts of Africa. In this paper, ten edible insects commonly consumed in Africa (African Palm weevil, Cockroaches, Black ants, Termites, Ground beetles, Grasshopper, Black soldier fly, Honeybees, Mole crickets and caterpillars) were selected and evaluated for their chemical and nutritional composition, including their therapeutic benefits. The review comprises a literature search on medicinal insects generated from the Web of Science and Google Scholar databases. Knowledge of these insects will help sensitise communities in Africa to their importance in their rearing for food and exploitation in the field of medicine, which will serve as an easier means of combatting disease plaguing Africa.