Illness experiences and mental health challenges associated with female genital schistosomiasis in Cameroon: a gender analysis.

Background: This paper highlights the role of cultural and structural gaps that shape illness experiences of women with manifestations of female genital schistosomiasis (FGS) and their impacts upon mental well-being.

Methods: Using ethnography, case study narrative accounts of women manifesting symptoms of FGS, as well as interviews with health workers within FGS-endemic rural fishing communities in Cameroon, we present experiences of women affected by FGS, alongside information on FGS health service provision.

Results: Our results show how gendered power dynamics in decision making, gendered experiences around menstrual health and structural gaps in service provision, combine and lead to poor mental well-being.

Female Genital Schistosomiasis (FGS) in Cameroon: A formative epidemiological and socioeconomic investigation in eleven rural fishing communities.

Background: Female Genital Schistosomiasis (FGS) is most often caused by presence of Schistosoma haematobium eggs lodged in the female reproductive tract which results in chronic fibrosis and scarring. In Cameroon, despite high community prevalences of urine-patent S. haematobium infections, FGS has yet to be studied in depth.

Intimate partner violence by men living with HIV in Cameroon: Prevalence, associated factors and implications for HIV transmission risk (ANRS-12288 EVOLCAM).

Objectives: Intimate partner violence (IPV) against women is frequent in Central Africa and may be a HIV infection risk factor. More data on HIV-positive men (MLHIV) committing IPV are needed to develop perpetrator-focused IPV and HIV prevention interventions. We investigated the relationship between IPV and HIV transmission risk and IPV-associated factors.

Intimate partner violence against HIV-positive Cameroonian women: Prevalence, associated factors and relationship with antiretroviral therapy discontinuity-results from the ANRS-12288 EVOLCam survey.

Background: Intimate partner violence in its various forms increases HIV exposure in female victims and potentially jeopardizes the HIV treatment cascade, for instance, by impeding engagement in and adherence to care. Elevated rates of HIV and intimate partner violence are reported in Central Africa. Evidence on the effect of intimate partner violence on antiviral therapy interruption is lacking in Cameroon, where only 330,000 women live with HIV and only 19% of HIV-positive people are virally suppressed.

Treatment interruption in HIV-positive patients followed up in Cameroon's antiretroviral treatment programme: individual and health care supply-related factors (ANRS-12288 EVOLCam survey).

Introduction: Decreasing international financial resources for HIV and increasing numbers of antiretroviral treatment (ART)-treated patients may jeopardise treatment continuity in low-income settings. Using data from the EVOLCam ANRS-12288 survey, this study aimed to document the prevalence of unplanned treatment interruption for more than 2 consecutive days (TI>2d) and investigate the associated individual and health care supply-related factors within the Cameroonian ART programme.

Methods: A cross-sectional mixed methods survey was carried out between April and December 2014 in 19 HIV services of the Centre and Littoral regions.