Unexpectedly high rates of obesity and dysglycemia among villagers in Cameroon.

Our survey in Cameroon recorded obesity and dysglycemia in inhabitants, which are similar to those reported elsewhere in the region. Typically these metabolic disturbances are attributed to the adoption of a new urban lifestyle including diminished physical activity and an altered ('Western') diet. Unexpectedly we found that, like urban populations, our rural population had high rates of metabolic disturbances, despite living in villages and being physically active and consuming traditional diet that is high in plant sources of food and low in meat.

Prevalence of Buruli ulcer in Akonolinga health district, Cameroon: results of a cross sectional survey.

Background: Buruli ulcer (BU) is a chronic, indolent necrotizing disease of the skin and underlying tissues caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans, which may result in functional incapacity. In 2002, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) opened a BU programme in Akonolinga Hospital, Cameroon, offering antibiotic treatment, surgery and general medical care. Six hundred patients have been treated in the project to date.