Elizabeth Mosima
8 May 2008
Suzanne M. a student in Yaounde has been absent from school for the past three days due to an acute cold. She complains of headache, fever, runny nose and general body pains.
Even though she is taking drugs prescribed by the doctor, she has to stay at home for at least two more days before gong to school. The story is the same for many Yaounde inhabitants today. In Yaounde, it is common to see people walking on the streets with handkerchiefs covered on their noses. They are either sneezing or trying to blow out catarrh from their noses.
Due to the recent change of seasons most people are highly affected by the adverse weather conditions. The transition is usually severe as many infections related to the climate change resurface. The principal cause of cold is usually external factors such as cold, dust, among others. These seasonal factors favour the propagation of the disease. The virus is manifested by a syndrome, "Pseudo-gripal". The different symptoms of cold include: headache, fever, general body pains, runny nose, itching ear, sneezing, nasal congestion, sore throat, among others. According to Dr Mamadou Mohamadou of the emergency ward of the Yaounde Central Hospital, there is no cure for colds but treatment is administered to patients to reduce the side effects of cold and improve on their conditions. He said since the start of the rainy season several cases of cold have been registered in the emergency ward of the Yaounde Central Hospital.
The symptoms of a cold usually go away after about one week, but can last up to 14 days. Symptoms may be more severe in infants and young children. According to Dr Mamadou, the consequences of colds can cause an extension of the viral infection that is it weakens the immune system of the patient. The patient is thus exposed to the possibility of another bacterial infection such as pulmonary infection. He said the cost of treatment range between FCFA 3000 to 4000. Dr Mamadou explained that the primary method to prevent infection is hand-washing to minimize person-to-person transmission of the virus. Also patients should putt on warm clothing, avoid dust, as well as infected persons. As for children, they must be vaccinated systematically.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 Cameroon Tribune. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
