As cholera continues to circulate in Cameroon, an initiative in Yaounde is putting residents at the center of prevention, from water treatment to neighborhood sanitation.
Cameroon is still facing an active cholera outbreak. As of August 21, 2026, 1,529 suspected cases and 41 deaths had been reported in 47 health areas, with sustained community transmission in several districts of the Far North. The outbreak is adding pressure to communities already facing limited access to essential services.
Against this backdrop, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is highlighting an approach developed in Djoungolo, Yaoundé, where prevention is being built around the communities themselves. The initiative, launched in November 2024 with Cameroon’s Ministry of Public Health, targets a district regularly affected by cholera.
Prevention starts in the neighborhood
Rather than arriving with ready-made solutions, MSF first consulted residents, community leaders, health authorities and other local actors. The discussions identified problems linked to water, sanitation, hygiene and waste management, but also revealed that residents were already taking action.
In several neighborhoods, communities had organized clean-up days to clear drainage channels, clean public spaces and remove waste around homes. MSF chose to strengthen these local initiatives instead of replacing them.
The approach is part of its “Patients and Populations as Partners” model. For MSF, residents understand their daily environment and challenges better than anyone, making their participation essential to developing practical prevention measures.
Making safe water more accessible
Water remains at the heart of the initiative. MSF has supported the rehabilitation of seven water points in Djoungolo and established a chlorine production unit to improve access to water-treatment supplies for households and health facilities.
But the project showed that simply providing chlorine was not enough. Residents had questions about the correct dosage and how to store treated water safely.
MSF therefore introduced “model households”. Volunteer families receive practical training on chlorine use before sharing their experience with neighbors. In this way, prevention moves from awareness messages to everyday practices inside homes.
The approach also gained a new dimension in July 2026, when a local chlorine production initiative was launched in Djoungolo, with 12,000 households targeted for the distribution of chlorine products. The operation was designed to strengthen access to safer drinking water in areas exposed to cholera.
A response that goes beyond the outbreak
Since 2025, MSF says more than 1.2 million people have been reached through awareness activities, while around 5,000 households are targeted each month in the Djoungolo health district. Communities also help secure worksites and equipment during the rehabilitation of water points, strengthening local ownership of the infrastructure.
The experience is particularly relevant as Cameroon continues to confront recurrent cholera outbreaks. Since October 2021, the country has repeatedly faced transmission, driven in part by gaps in access to safe drinking water, sanitation and
hygiene.
For MSF, emergency treatment remains essential, but it cannot alone prevent the disease from returning. Djoungolo illustrates another part of the response: prevention before patients reach treatment centers.
At the water point, along drainage channels, around households and through community networks, residents are being given the means to identify risks and act on them.
As the current outbreak continues, the experience in Yaoundé offers a broader lesson for Cameroon: fighting cholera is not only about responding to cases. It is also about strengthening the capacity of communities to prevent the next one.
