The Feasibility and Acceptability of Using Mobile Applications for HIV Testing, Prevention, and Treatment Among Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Cameroon: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) are vulnerable populations to HIV/AIDS. We conducted a cross-sectional survey among 637 AGYW in Cameroon to study the feasibility and willingness to use mobile applications (apps) for HIV testing, prevention, and treatment. We found that phone ownership is high among AGYW, where 93.

The Positive Impact of Foods Support on Loss to Follow Up Among Children and Adolescents on HIV Antiretroviral Therapy in a District Hospital in East Cameroon.

Introduction: The pediatric HIV treatment coverage in Cameroon remains low at 35%. The high loss to follow up (LTFU) remains a major factor to this dismal performance which is related to the lack of implementation of effective interventions to improve retention in care. This study assessed the impact of foods support (FS) on LTFU among children and adolescents in a rural district hospital in eastern Cameroon.

Comprehensive assessment of invalid and indeterminate results in Truenat MTB-RIF testing across sites under the national TB elimination program of India.

Introduction: Truenat MTB-RIF assay (Truenat), a nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT), is a real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) chip-based assay that can detect () and rifampicin (RIF) drug resistance using portable, battery-operated devices. The National TB Elimination Program (NTEP) in India introduced this novel tool at the district and subdistrict level in 2020. This study aimed to assess the level and causes of inconclusive results (invalid results, errors, and indeterminate results) in MTB and RIF testing at NTEP sites and the root causes of these in the programmatic setting.

Depression management and antiretroviral treatment outcome among people living with HIV in Northwest and East regions of Cameroon.

Background: Several interventions have shown benefits in improving mental health problems such as depression which is common in people living with HIV. However, there is a paucity of evidence on the effect of these interventions in improving HIV treatment outcomes. This study aimed at bridging this evidence gap and guiding the integration of depression and HIV management, particularly in rural health settings of Cameroon.

Human immunodeficiency virus case detection and antiretroviral therapy enrollment among children below and above 18 months old: A comparative analysis from Cameroon.

While pediatric human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing has been more focused on children below 18 months through prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV (PMTCT), the yield of this approach remains unclear comparatively to testing children above 18 months through routine provider-initiated testing and counselling (PITC). This study aimed at assessing and comparing the HIV case detection and antiretroviral therapy (ART) enrolment among children below and above 18 months of age in Cameroon. This information is required to guide the investments in HIV testing among children and adolescents.

Implementation of blanket provider-initiated testing and counselling: Predictors of HIV seropositivity among infants, children and adolescents in Cameroon.

Objectives: The number needed to test (NNT) to identify a child infected with HIV remains high in the context of the implementation of the blanket provider-initiated testing and counselling (bPITC) strategy. This study assessed the predictors of HIV seropositivity among outpatient children/adolescents (6 weeks-19 years) in Cameroon. This information is needed to improve the yield of bPITC and reduce the current gap in pediatric and adolescent ART coverage in this country and beyond.

Parental and child-level predictors of HIV testing uptake, seropositivity and treatment initiation among children and adolescents in Cameroon.

Background: There is a growing body of evidence positioning targeted provider-initiated testing and counselling (tPITC, also known as index case testing) as a promising HIV case-finding and linkage strategy among children and adolescents. However, the effectiveness and efficiency of this strategy is limited by low HIV testing uptake and case detection rates. Despite this fact, there is very little literature on factors associated with HIV testing uptake, HIV seropositivity and ART-enrolment in tPITC implementation among African children.

Effectiveness of symptom-based diagnostic HIV testing versus targeted and blanket provider-initiated testing and counseling among children and adolescents in Cameroon.

Objectives: The concurrent implementation of targeted (tPITC) and blanket provider-initiated testing and counselling (bPITC) is recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for HIV case-finding in generalized HIV epidemics. This study assessed the effectiveness of this intervention compared to symptom-based diagnostic HIV testing (DHT) in terms of HIV testing uptake, case detection and antiretroviral therapy (ART) enrollment among children and adolescents in Cameroon, where estimated HIV prevalence is relatively low at 3.7%.

Active case finding: comparison of the acceptability, feasibility and effectiveness of targeted versus blanket provider-initiated-testing and counseling of HIV among children and adolescents in Cameroon.

Background: Children and adolescents still lag behind adults in accessing antiretroviral therapy (ART), which is largely due to their limited access to HIV testing services. This study compares the acceptability, feasibility and effectiveness of targeted versus blanket provider-initiated testing and counseling (PITC) among children and adolescents in Cameroon.

Methods: During a 6-month period in three hospitals in Cameroon, we invited HIV-positive parents to have their biological children (6 weeks-19 years) tested for HIV (targeted PITC).

Setting performance-based financing in the health sector agenda: a case study in Cameroon.

Background: More than 30 countries in sub-Saharan Africa have introduced performance-based financing (PBF) in their healthcare systems. Yet, there has been little research on the process by which PBF was put on the national policy agenda in Africa. This study examines the policy process behind the introduction of PBF program in Cameroon.

Transferring the Purchasing Role from International to National Organizations During the Scale-Up Phase of Performance-Based Financing in Cameroon.

-The World Bank and the government of Cameroon launched a performance-based financing (PBF) program in Cameroon in 2011. To ensure its rapid implementation, the performance purchasing role was sub-contracted to a consultancy firm and a nongovernmental organization, both international. However, since the early stage, it was agreed upon that this role would later be transferred to a national entity.

Pitfalls of practicing cancer epidemiology in resource-limited settings: the case of survival and loss to follow-up after a diagnosis of Kaposi's sarcoma in five countries across sub-Saharan Africa.

Background: Survival after diagnosis is a fundamental concern in cancer epidemiology. In resource-rich settings, ambient clinical databases, municipal data and cancer registries make survival estimation in real-world populations relatively straightforward. In resource-poor settings, given the deficiencies in a variety of health-related data systems, it is less clear how well we can determine cancer survival from ambient data.

WHO recommended collaborative TB/HIV activities: evaluation of implementation and performance in a rural district hospital in Cameroon.

Background: The objective of the study was to assess the implementation and the performance of recommended collaborative TB/HIV activities in Batibo District Hospital (BDH) and to determine the prevalence of HIV in TB patients in this rural locality.

Methods: The implementation of collaborative TB/HIV activities was assessed through interviews with health workers in the hospital. The implementation score was calculated as the proportion of recommended activities effectively implemented in the hospital.

Outcome assessment of a Global Fund grant for tuberculosis control at the district level in rural Cameroon.

Setting: Batibo District Hospital (BDH), North-West Cameroon.

Objective: To assess the outcome of the implementation of the Global Fund (GF) Grant Round 3 for tuberculosis (TB) control at the district level.

Design: A retrospective study for the period 2003-2008 comparing TB programme outcome indicators before (2003-2005) and after (2006-2008) the GF grant.