The Communication for Better Health® (CBH®) program began in 1998 after local discussion of the lack of current medical information in Cameroon. The solution was to create a publication that would be easy to read, informative, and accessible to health professionals all over the country. The Cameroon Health Digest is primarily distributed to health care providers and health care users in rural areas where advanced medical personnel, health literature, and access to Internet facilities are lacking. In order to achieve the maximum measurable impact, distribution has been concentrated, though not entirely limited to, the two English-speaking provinces of the country.
The content of the digest includes abstracts of health publications from the Internet, results of case studies and research work carried out by local health professionals and scientific researchers, and fact sheets on public health issues. Emphasis is on the epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of common diseases such as malaria, malnutrition, gastrointestinal diseases, typhoid fever, goiter/iodine deficiency, poliomyelitis, onchocerciasis, diabetes, STIs/STDs, and HIV/AIDS. A section of the digest is devoted to providing information about useful health tips, such as the proper use of antibiotics, the need for touch in children, yawning and your health, the health attributes of laughter, the healing power of water, and fighting the urge to smoke.
The digest is also used as a medium to communicate information about Problem Solving for Better Health® (PSBH®) workshops, follow-up workshops, and the health projects generated at these workshops.
The first PSBH workshop in Cameroon was held in Bamenda on April 12-14, 2002. The objective of the program is to generate community awareness and, consequently, communitywide action in order to bring about change in behavior and improvement in health standards. Accomplishments include increased sense of awareness, provision of clean drinking water to reduce the incidence of water-borne diseases, increased HIV/AIDS education to support government and international efforts, reduced incidence of infectious skin diseases, provision of sanitary facilities in public places, contribution to the fight against malaria, government involvement in water projects, and involvement of Plan International Cameroon in supplying treated bed nets to pregnant women and young children.