Mother-Child Approach to Cervical Cancer Prevention in a Low Resource Setting: The Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Services Story.

Introduction: The rates of cervical cancer screening in Cameroon are unknown and HPV vaccination coverage for age-appropriate youths is reported at 5%.

Objectives: To implement the mother-child approach to cervical cancer prevention (cervical screening by HPV testing for mothers and HPV vaccination for daughters) in Meskine, Far North, Cameroon.

Methods: After the sensitization of the Meskine-Maroua region using education and a press-release by the Minister of Public Health, a 5-day mother-child campaign took place at Meskine Baptist Hospital.

Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of a Distance Learning and Telementoring Program for Cervical Cancer Prevention in Cameroon.

Importance: Although Africa has the highest burden of cervical cancer in the world, educational resources to achieve the 90-70-90 targets set by the World Health Organization in its strategy to eliminate cervical cancer are lacking in the region.

Objectives: To adapt, implement, and evaluate the Project Extension for Community Health Care Outcomes (ECHO), an innovative learning tool, to build capacity of clinicians to better incorporate new evidence-based guidelines into cervical cancer control policies and clinical practices.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This cross-sectional study assessed knowledge and practices of clinicians and support staff regarding cervical cancer prevention and control and compared them among respondents who had attended Project ECHO sessions (prior ECHO attendees) with those who had not but were planning on attending in the near future (newcomers) as part of the Cameroon Cervical Cancer Prevention Project ECHO.

Family planning methods and fertility preferences according to HIV status among women in Cameroon.

We investigated whether HIV-positive women differ from HIV-negative women in their fertility, fertility intentions, and use of family planning (FP) among 16,202 women who received services through the Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Services' Women's Health Program from 2015 to 2017. The 13% of women who were HIV-positive had similar rates of modern FP usage and unmet need compared to HIV-negative women (26% versus 29% for modern FP usage, and 20% versus 21% for unmet need). However, HIV-positive women were more likely to be satisfied with their FP method (aOR = 1.

Feasibility of a community-based cervical cancer screening with "test and treat" strategy using self-sample for an HPV test: Experience from rural Cameroon, Africa.

To achieve higher coverage and effectiveness in limited-resource settings, World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for cervical cancer prevention recommend a screen-and-treat strategy with high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) testing. We piloted a real-word project to examine the feasibility of this approach in rural Cameroon. Nurses from the Women's Health Program (WHP) of the Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Services (CBCHS) educated women in remote villages on cervical cancer prevention.

Prevalence of group B streptococcus anogenital colonization and feasibility of an intrapartum screening and antibiotic prophylaxis protocol in Cameroon, Africa.

Objective: To evaluate group B streptococcus (GBS) colonization prevalence and feasibility of intrapartum GBS screening/antibiotic prophylaxis (IAP) in Cameroon, Africa.

Methods: Prospective cohort in the Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Services network. Maternity providers collected anogenital swabs from consenting term women in labor for testing by a rapid GBS-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) system.

HIV Status and Contraceptive Utilization among Women in Cameroon.

Objective: We examined patterns of contraceptive utilization by HIV status among women in Cameroon, hypothesizing that women living with HIV would utilize contraception at higher rates than their HIV-negative peers.

Methods: Deidentified, clinical data from the Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Services (2007-2013) were analyzed (N = 8995). Frequencies compared outcomes between women living with HIV (15.

Implementing a Fee-for-Service Cervical Cancer Screening and Treatment Program in Cameroon: Challenges and Opportunities.

Background: Cervical cancer screening is one of the most effective cancer prevention strategies, but most women in Africa have never been screened. In 2007, the Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Services, a large faith-based health care system in Cameroon, initiated the Women's Health Program (WHP) to address this disparity. The WHP provides fee-for-service cervical cancer screening using visual inspection with acetic acid enhanced by digital cervicography (VIA-DC), prioritizing care for women living with HIV/AIDS.

Prevalence, Predictors, and Same Day Treatment of Positive VIA Enhanced by Digital Cervicography and Histopathology Results in a Cervical Cancer Prevention Program in Cameroon.

Background: In 2007, the Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Services (CBCHS) implemented a screen-and-treat cervical cancer prevention program using visual inspection with acetic acid enhanced by digital cervicography (VIA-DC).

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 46,048 medical records of women who received care through the CBCHS Women's Health Program from 2007 through 2014 to determine the prevalence and predictors of positive VIA-DC, rates of same day treatment, and cohort prevalence of invasive cervical cancer (ICC).

Results: Of the 44,979 women who were screened for cervical cancer, 9.

Cervical Cancer Screening in Cameroon: Interobserver Agreement on the Interpretation of Digital Cervicography Results.

Objective: The World Health Organization recommends visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) for cervical cancer screening in resource-limited settings. In Cameroon, we use digital cervicography (DC) to capture images of the cervix after VIA. This study evaluated interobserver agreement of DC results, compared DC with histopathologic results, and examined interobserver agreement among screening methods.

Achieving high uptake of human papillomavirus vaccine in Cameroon: lessons learned in overcoming challenges.

Background: Cameroon has the highest age-standardized incidence rate of cervical cancer (30/100,000 women) in Central Africa. In 2010-2011, the Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Services (CBCHS) received donated human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, Gardasil, from Merck & Co. Inc.

Knowledge and awareness of HPV vaccine and acceptability to vaccinate in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review.

Objectives: We assessed the knowledge and awareness of cervical cancer, HPV and HPV vaccine, and willingness and acceptability to vaccinate in sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. We further identified countries that fulfill the two GAVI Alliance eligibility criteria to support nationwide HPV vaccination.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review of peer-reviewed studies on the knowledge and awareness of cervical cancer, HPV and HPV vaccine, and willingness and acceptability to vaccinate.

Awareness, knowledge and beliefs about HPV, cervical cancer and HPV vaccines among nurses in Cameroon: an exploratory study.

Background: While it is known that sub-Saharan African countries face multiple obstacles such as cost in adopting vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV), the crucial role nurses can play in implementing such programs has not been adequately examined.

Objectives: To investigate the knowledge and awareness of HPV, primary cause of cervical cancer and HPV vaccine among nurses working at four Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Services facilities, and to explore what factors influence nurses' willingness to inform and recommend HPV vaccine to adolescents and parents attending clinics.

Design And Setting: A structured questionnaire survey was administered to a convenience sample of nursing staff working at the four health facilities.

Awareness, acceptability and uptake of human papilloma virus vaccine among Cameroonian school-attending female adolescents.

The purpose of this study is to assess awareness, knowledge and beliefs about HPV, cervical cancer HPV vaccine and willingness to vaccinate among adolescent females aged 12-26 years at clinics and schools in the North West Region of Cameroon where the Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Services (CBCHS) conducted a sensitization and education campaign. A questionnaire survey was administered among female adolescents in schools and clinics. Descriptive statistics including frequencies, percentages and proportions were generated for independent variables and bivariate analyses (Chi square test) were used to assess the relationship between independent and outcome variables.

Assessing the effectiveness of a community-based sensitization strategy in creating awareness about HPV, cervical cancer and HPV vaccine among parents in North West Cameroon.

In 2010, the Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Services (CBCHS) received a donation of HPV vaccine (Gardasil®) to immunize girls of ages 9-13 years in the North West Region of Cameroon. We evaluated the effectiveness of the CBCHS campaign program in sensitizing parents/guardians to encourage HPV vaccine uptake, identified factors that influence parents' decisions to vaccinate girls, and examined the uptake of cervical cancer screening among mothers. We conducted a cross-sectional survey in four healthcare facilities run by CBCHS, churches and other social settings.

Epidemiology of HPV in HIV-positive and HIV-negative fertile women in Cameroon, West Africa.

Background: HPV types vary by country and HIV status. There are no data on the prevalent HPV genotypes from Cameroon.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional, observational study on 65 Cameroonian women.

Integrating prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission into routine antenatal care: the key to program expansion in Cameroon.

With funds from Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, the Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Board implemented a program to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV-1 (PMTCT) as part of its routine antenatal care, with single-dose maternal and infant peripartum nevirapine (NVP) prophylaxis of HIV-positive mothers and their babies. Nurses, midwives, nurse aides, and trained birth attendants counseled pregnant women, obtained risk factor data, and offered free HIV testing with same-day results. From February 2000 through December 2004, this program rapidly expanded to 115 facilities in 6 of Cameroon's 10 provinces, not only to large hospitals but to remote health centers staffed by trained birth attendants.

Evaluation of rapid prenatal human immunodeficiency virus testing in rural cameroon.

Pregnant women (n = 859) in rural Cameroonian prenatal clinics were screened by two rapid human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) antibody tests (rapid tests [RT]) (Determine and Hema-Strip) using either whole blood or plasma. One additional RT (Capillus, HIV-CHEK, or Sero-Card) was used to resolve discordant results. RT results were compared with HIV-1 enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and Western blot (WB) results of matched dried blood spots (DBS) to assess the accuracy of HIV RTs.