Integrated strategies for control of devastating transmissible diseases in Cameroonian urban areas: The case of malaria, tuberculosis and waterborne diseases.

Abstract

The recent, fast and poorly handled rural to urban migrations of people has led to unplanned settlement patterns, overcrowding and insufficient sanitation facilities, shortages of potable water, and general an unhealthy environment. The emerging cities have thus become areas where the most devastating scourges (malaria, tuberculosis and water borne diseases) continue undermine the socio-economic development of the urban areas. Herein, we discuss the current health challenges in major Cameroonian cities and argue that only a multidisciplinary approach including diagnosis and treatment, environmental care, and health education, is likely to address the health challenges in the emerging urban settings. From a recent publication by Titanji (2014) on lessons learned from the recent Ebola crisis in West African countries, some key elements of an integrated strategy for addressing health challenges in major Cameroonian cities are discussed.

Key words: Malaria, Tuberculosis, waterborne diseases, Cameroon cities, integrated approach