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Use of Antigen Rapid Diagnostic Test for Detection of COVID-19 Cases in University Settings in Cameroon
Chavely Gwladys Monamele
Chavely Gwladys Monamele
Department of Virology, Centre Pasteur Cameroon, Yaounde, Cameroon;
Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon;
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Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon;
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Landry Messanga
Landry Messanga
Department of Virology, Centre Pasteur Cameroon, Yaounde, Cameroon;
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Nicolas Njintang Yanou
Nicolas Njintang Yanou
Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Ngaoundere, Ngaoundere, Cameroon;
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Gustave Simo
Gustave Simo
Department of Biochesmistry, University of Dschang, Dschang, Cameroon;
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Carole Else Eboumbou Moukoko
Carole Else Eboumbou Moukoko
Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Douala, Douala, Cameroon;
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Henri Moumbeket
Henri Moumbeket
Department of Virology, Centre Pasteur Cameroon, Yaounde, Cameroon;
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Abdou Fatawou Modyinyi
Abdou Fatawou Modyinyi
Department of Virology, Centre Pasteur Cameroon, Yaounde, Cameroon;
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Ripa Mohamadou
Ripa Mohamadou
Department of Virology, Centre Pasteur Cameroon, Yaounde, Cameroon;
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Yacouba Foupouapouognigni
Yacouba Foupouapouognigni
Laboratory of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Yaounde I, Yaounde, Cameroon;
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Armand Abdou
Armand Abdou
Department of Agriculture, Livestock and By Products, National Advanced School of Engineering, University of Maroua, Maroua, Cameroon;
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Jane-Francis Tatah Kihla Akoachere
Jane-Francis Tatah Kihla Akoachere
Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon;
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Pallavi Dani
Pallavi Dani
Division of Operational Research, FIND, Geneva, Switzerland;
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Anne Hoppe
Anne Hoppe
Division of Operational Research, FIND, Geneva, Switzerland;
Director of Innovation, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Geneva, Switzerland
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Director of Innovation, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Geneva, Switzerland
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Richard Njouom
Richard Njouom
Department of Virology, Centre Pasteur Cameroon, Yaounde, Cameroon;
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Robust testing strategies are an essential aspect of COVID-19 pandemic preparedness and response. In 2022, most regions of Cameroon were still below the WHO’s recommended level of 10 COVID-19 tests per 10,000 population. This study aimed to detect SARS-CoV-2 cases in university settings in Cameroon using antigen rapid diagnostic tests (Ag-RDTs) to increase national testing capacity and assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of this population regarding COVID-19 infection. Six universities in Buea, Douala, Dschang, Maroua, Ngaoundere, and Yaounde participated in this study from June to October 2022. Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected from participants and tested for COVID-19 using Ag-RDTs. For all positive cases, high-risk contacts were also tested by Ag-RDT. Participants were administered a structured questionnaire to assess their knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding COVID-19. A total of 7,006 participants were recruited, and 54 (0.8%) were positive for SARS-CoV-2. Among close contacts, three of 62 (4.8%) tested positive. The University of Maroua was the only site to consistently report satisfactory testing capacity, achieving the study target of 30 tests/10,000 in 94.1% of cases. Participants’ knowledge of COVID-19 was moderate to good (≥50%). However, 28% were unsure about the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine. Two main factors were identified that could facilitate the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in university settings, namely the lack of restrictions on entering campus without a mask (36%) and the non-respect of social distancing on campus (42.7%). The results of this study will guide future policies to better control diseases with epidemic or pandemic potential by targeting educational institutions.
Author Notes
Financial support: This project was supported by FIND through a grant received from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
Disclosures: This study was approved by Cameroon’s National Ethics Committee (N° 2022/02/1794/L/CNERSH/SP) and the Division of Health Operations Research of the Ministry of Health (D30-896/L/MINSANTE/SG/DROS) before the start of the project. Administrative approvals were also obtained from the rectors of the participating universities. Regional ethics recommendations were strictly followed, and written consent was obtained from each participant before enrollment. The IUPY only collected data for the last 2 weeks of the project due to the late receipt of administrative approval and was therefore not included in the overall statistics to minimize bias.
Current contact information: Chavely Gwladys Monamele, Department of Virology, Centre Pasteur Cameroon, Yaounde, Cameroon, and Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon, E-mail: monamele.chavely@yahoo.fr. Landry Messanga, Henri Moumbeket, Abdou Fatawou Modyinyi, Ripa Mohamadou, and Richard Njouom, Department of Virology, Centre Pasteur Cameroon, Yaounde, Cameroon, E-mails: messangalandry@gmail.com, henrimoumbeket92@gmail.com, abfatawou@yahoo.fr, ripamama1@gmail.com, and njouom@pasteur-yaounde.org. Nicolas Njintang Yanou, Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Ngaoundere, Ngaoundere, Cameroon, E-mail: njintang@yahoo.fr. Gustave Simo, Department of Biochesmistry, University of Dschang, Dschang, Cameroon, E-mail: gsimoca@yahoo.fr. Carole Else Eboumbou Moukoko, Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Douala, Douala, Cameroon, E-mail: eboumbou@pasteur-yaounde.org. Yacouba Foupouapouognigni, Laboratory of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Yaounde I, Yaounde, Cameroon, E-mail: yacouba74@yahoo.fr. Armand Abdou, Department of Agriculture, Livestock and By Products, National Advanced School of Engineering, University of Maroua, Maroua, Cameroon, E-mail: abdouarmand@yahoo.fr. Jane-Francis Tatah Kihla Akoachere, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon, E-mail: janetatah@gmail.com. Pallavi Dani, Division of Operational Research, FIND, Geneva, Switzerland, E-mail: pallavi.dani@finddx.org. Anne Hoppe, Division of Operational Research, FIND, Geneva, Switzerland, and Director of Innovation, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Geneva, Switzerland, E-mail: ahoppe@pedaids.org.
| Past two years | Past Year | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Full Text Views | 103 | 103 | 28 |
| PDF Downloads | 83 | 83 | 18 |