RdR Tools Validation Workshop in Ebolowa: Cameroon Strengthens Its HIV-Drug Response
Du 6 au 11 avril 2026, le Comité National de Lutte contre le SIDA, en appui au programme de réduction des risques (RdR) du Ministère de la Santé Publique, a participé à Ebolowa (Région du Sud) à un atelier financé par Care International Cameroun. Dans le but de valider les livrables de l’assistance technique internationale sur la RdR liée à l’usage de drogues. Les livrables attendus prennent en compte les documents stratégiques nationaux, procédures opérationnelles standard, le plan opérationnel RdR 2026-2030 et outils de suivi-évaluation et assurance qualité nécessaire au déploiement harmonisé des interventions. Les travaux, coordonnés techniquement par le cabinet International Africa Synergy Plus, ont réuni de nombreuses parties prenantes. Ils ont été ouverts par le Délégué Régional de la Santé Publique pour le Sud, Charles YOPNDOI, qui s’est félicité que sa région frontalière, exposée aux trafics, accueille cette rencontre aux résultats prometteurs pour les communautés locales. La recommandation phare : charger Africa Synergy Plus d’élaborer un document de Stratégique National sur la RdR, livrable jugé impératif.
CNLD statistics highlight the urgency of the situation: among the drug-using population in Cameroon, 74.4% are non-injecting drug users (NDUs), 8.7% of whom are living with HIV. Meanwhile, 25.5% are injecting drug users (IDUs), with an HIV prevalence of 18.7%. Injection significantly increases the risk of transmission of HIV, HBV, HCV, and TB, hence the need for a 2026–2030 Harm Reduction (HR) operational plan incorporated into national policies for drug control and the response to HIV/AIDS.
Far from encouraging drug use, harm reduction is an educational support program that promotes responsible behavior among people who use drugs and targets vulnerable populations: preventive antiretroviral (ARV) prophylaxis, integration of social workers into drug treatment centers (CSAPA), and capacity-building for community-based organizations (CBOs) and judicial actors to refer and provide care for people who use drugs. These measures aim to reduce mortality, morbidity, and the transmission of HIV, HBV, HCV, TB, STIs, and other drug-related harms.
Drug use remains a multifaceted phenomenon—involving trafficking, addiction, or recreational use—that plagues communities and constitutes a major public health problem in Cameroon. Faced with this phenomenon, which takes different forms depending on culture and context (inhalation, ingestion, snorting, mucosal absorption, or injection), the country, with the help of its partners, is implementing prevention strategies; harm reduction now appears to be the most promising approach for protecting users and curbing the epidemic.
CNLD statistics highlight the urgency of the situation: among the drug-using population in Cameroon, 74.4% are non-injecting drug users (NDUs), 8.7% of whom are living with HIV. Meanwhile, 25.5% are injecting drug users (IDUs), with an HIV prevalence of 18.7%. Injection significantly increases the risk of transmission of HIV, HBV, HCV, and TB, hence the need for a 2026–2030 Harm Reduction (HR) operational plan incorporated into national policies for drug control and the response to HIV/AIDS.
Far from encouraging drug use, harm reduction is an educational support program that promotes responsible behavior among people who use drugs and targets vulnerable populations: preventive antiretroviral (ARV) prophylaxis, integration of social workers into drug treatment centers (CSAPA), and capacity-building for community-based organizations (CBOs) and judicial actors to refer and provide care for people who use drugs. These measures aim to reduce mortality, morbidity, and the transmission of HIV, HBV, HCV, TB, STIs, and other drug-related harms.
Drug use remains a multifaceted phenomenon—involving trafficking, addiction, or recreational use—that plagues communities and constitutes a major public health problem in Cameroon. Faced with this phenomenon, which takes different forms depending on culture and context (inhalation, ingestion, snorting, mucosal absorption, or injection), the country, with the help of its partners, is implementing prevention strategies; harm reduction now appears to be the most promising approach for protecting users and curbing the epidemic.
Our Partners
