COMMUNITY HEALTH PRACTICE IN NKWEN RURAL

Community Health Practice in Nkwen Rural

1)      INTRODUCTION

Community health practice is a regular activity carried out in the second year of training course for medical students of the Faculty of Health Sciences. The purpose of the community health practice is to make a community diagnosis of the health problems affecting the population and risk factors contributing to disease appearances or occurrences, in the domain of environmental sanitation and health promotion. This was done using questionnaires to collect data from households visited in the community in order to identify the health problems of the community and to evaluate the vaccination coverage of children 0 to 23 months.Community diagnosis is the foundation for improving and promoting the health of community members. Community diagnosis is a process. In order for this process to be meaningful, the entire community must be mobilized and involved throughout the diagnosis and control of health problems and factors identified. While building community commitment takes lots of time and energy, there is no better way to build support for public health interventions than to engage community residents in identifying important health issues, developing strategies for addressing these issues, initiating actions and interventions, and using the skills and experiences of community members as resources. This Community Health Practice is the first step to initiate the community participation in a dialogue between the population and the students that will enable them to fill the questionnaires.

2)      GOAL (GENERAL OBJECTIVE)

The practical training course in Community Health Practice has as objective to familiarize the student with the exercise of establishing the diagnosis of the health situation of communities.

3)      SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

        i.            Describe the health area and draw a sketch of the health area to indicate the sites where the teams of students will work.

      ii.            Study waste disposal of excreta

    iii.            Study the disposal of household solid refuse

     iv.            Study water supply
      v.            Study methods of purification of water
    vi.            Assess use of impregnated mosquito nets
   vii.            Study agricultural activities
viii.            Study health insurance coverage
    ix.            Study health risk - living in hazard prone areas
     x.            Study Health Service Utilisation
  xi.            Study hygienic conditions in Bars and Restaurants
  xii.            Study where medications are purchased
  xiii.            Assess major health problems  in the community
  xiv.            Assess major health problems  diagnosed at the health centre
  xv.            Evaluate vaccination coverage of children 0-11months
  xvi.            Evaluate vaccination coverage of children 12 to 23 months
  xvii.            Study the EPI monitoring chart

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CHP Nkwen pdf part 1

CHP Nkwen pdf part 2

CHP Nkwen ppt part 1

CHP Nkwen ppt part 2

MAN MADE CLIMATE CHANGE AND GLOBAL WARMING – DIARY OF EVENTS

Tel: (+237) 677 60 12 07

Email: dmfonfu@yahoo.com

Website: www.mfonfudaniel.blogspot.com

MAN MADE CLIMATE CHANGE AND GLOBAL WARMING – DIARY OF EVENTS

Manmade atmospheric vacuum created by burning flames on oil drilling platforms and oil refineries are responsible for most catastrophes - flooding, wild bush fires and drought - as presented in my diary. Thus these catastrophes are manmade. Please let us develop technology to channel this gas for home human consumption. 

The Paris COP did not mention this in their discussions and report. The quest for petroleum drilling is destroying our dear planet earth.

Please read this diary and refer it to others.

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CAPITOL COMMUNITY HEALTH INTERNSHIP MAY 2016

CAPITOL COMMUNITY HEALTH INTERNSHIP MAY 2016

By Mr Ngalla Edward – Proprietor of CAPITOL &

Dr Mfonfu Daniel – Dean of Studies CAPITOL

CAPITOL HIGHER INSTITUTE OF HEALTH SCIENCES AND BEAUTY THERAPIES

Community Health Internship is an activity that the level 2 (that the second year students) carry out. Over the years it was practised as a touristic event not related to what was thought in class in public health. In an attempt to always improve on the quality of teaching and especially to give a scientific approach to community health internship in CAPITOL we had to try a different approach this year that consisted in assessing health problems and risk problems in households using a questionnaire.

This report is a synthesis of the results of work of students at the various health areas. In order to make this synthesis the names of the Health Districts where the health areas are situated are used. The interpretation of results should be limited to the health area studied.

The students worked in health areas in the following health Districts: Bali, Mbengwi, Tubah and Santa. This report and those of the students will serve as a feedback to health authorities where they work and beyond.   

GENERAL OBJECTIVE (GOAL):  The goal of Community Health Internship is to make a community diagnosis of health problems/diseases in the community and risk factors that contribute to appearance of diseases in that community by studying the environmental sanitation of households and health problems in households in the community as studied in public health in class; study the vaccination coverage rate of children 0 – 23 months and use the results of the community diagnosis to control the diseases and risk factors identified.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES; Study the:

                               i.            Methods of excreta disposal in the households

                             ii.            Methods of water supply in the community

                          iii.            Methods of purification of water at home

                          iv.            Agricultural Activities

                             v.            Disposal of household solid refuse/waste 

                          vi.            Use of Herbicide  

                        vii.            Use of Rubbing oils used on children

                     viii.            Four Major Health Problems (illnesses/sickness) in the community

                          ix.            Four major incapacitated Chronic patients at home (disabling diseases)

                             x.            Environmental Cleanliness

                          xi.            Four major health diseases identified in the health centre/hospital statistics

                        xii.            Evaluate the vaccination coverage rate of children 0 – 11 months

                     xiii.            Evaluate the vaccination coverage rate of children 12 - 23 months, and

                     xiv.            Perform nursing care.

           xv.           Describe solid waste management in the residence of Dr Mfonfu Daniel           

We have presented a report of the summary of data collected from communities by the students and some reports of the students. Download the following reports to read the details:  

1.  CAPITOL Community Health Internship May 2016 
2. CAPITOL BALI Catholic CHI
3. CAPITOL Bambui Fingah CHI
4. CAPITOL Santa Mbei CHI
5. CAPITOL santa meforbe CHI

RAW CASSAVA LEAVES JUICE IS NOT GOOD FOR PREGNANT WOMEN

Dr MFONFU Daniel

Independent Researcher

Tel: +237 677601207

Email: dmfonfu@yahoo.com

Website: www.mfonfudaniel.blogspot.com

 

Previous Publications
Epidemiological Surveillance Software

Obesity Oils and Non-Obesity Oils
Soya Bean Oil Contributes to Obesity Pandemic
Cholera a Kalemie et Moba
Yam Cultivation Without Traditional Mulching
Skin Rashes in Children &  Manyanga
Batibo District Hospital Surgical Complex
Cholera au Cameroon de 1971 à 1988 

1.     INTRODUCTION

Consumption of raw cassava leaves juice is not good for pregnant women because it causes congenital hypothyroidism in the new-born baby.

Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is defined as thyroid hormone deficiency present at birth (Maynika V Rastogi, Stephen H LaFranchi).

Congenital hypothyroidism is a condition where the thyroid gland does not make enough thyroid hormone. The thyroid gland is a small butterfly-shaped gland located in the neck. Normally, it uses iodine from food we eat to make thyroid hormone. This thyroid hormone is also known as thyroxin (T4). T4 is needed for normal growth and development. If congenital hypothyroidism is left untreated, it can lead to growth failure, mental retardation and other serious health problems (Julie J. Gordon).

If the child thrives he/she will grow up to be a cretin. A cretin is one who is severely stunted physically and has a severe retarded mental growth due to untreated congenital hypothyroidism.

The author clinically diagnosed a case of congenital hypothyroidism on 22 September 1983 at Divisional Hospital at Edea in the Sanaga and Maritime Division in Cameroon. The treatment of the child with thyroxin produced such a spectacular recovery that spurred the author to document the case in 1984,with the consent of the mother of the child, in order to encourage clinicians working in areas with limited diagnostic facilities to always think about the existence of such a rare endocrine disease. A copy of this report was given to the mother to use for consultation as the child developed; she also provided me the pictures as the child grew up and permitted me to publish them.

In 1984 there was not enough literature to identify neither the cause nor the contributing factors to the disease; but as time evolved, the arrival of internet permitted me to consult literature on congenital hypothyroidism that provided among others the nutritional causes and risk factors of the congenital hypothyroidism. Of recent, community traditional believes and practices revealed that raw juice of cassava leaves is consumed by pregnant women believing that it provides blood to the pregnant woman and the in-utero baby. This traditional believe is being promoted by the increasing number of homoeopaths, naturopaths, and traditional healers in Cameroon. Even health care providers have joined the chorus by encouraging pregnant women during antenatal clinics to drink raw cassava leaves juice.

This traditional doctrine was greatly practised by the community at Edea; it is still being practised in that community and it is spreading in Cameroon. It is for this rapid growing doctrine that I am writing this report to draw the attention of health care providers and the community of the ill effects of noxious traditional believes without a scientific background such as the consumption of raw cassava leaves juice by pregnant women.

This article on congenital hypothyroidism will be based on the nutritional causes of congenital hypothyroidism. The references used in this article are meant to backup and prove the goals and objectives of this study for the good of humanity.

2.     GOAL

The purpose of publishing this article in 2015 on congenital hypothyroidism diagnosed on 22 September 1983 in Edea-Cameroon is to prevent congenital hypothyroidism due to consumption of raw juice of cassava leaves, and soya bean by sensitizing health care providers and the community.  

3.     OBJECTIVES    

i)                   Review literature  of congenital hypothyroidism (CH)

ii)                Present the case of CH diagnosed at Edea

iii)              Discuss CH due to soya bean,

iv)              Present “Bamenda huckleberry leaves” which is a save edible vegetable

4.     METHOD

The CH due cassava leaves will be demonstrated by the case diagnosed at Edea (Picture 4) while that due to soy bean will be obtained from literature reviewed.

In the previous documentation there were no facilities such as the internet to consult in order to obtain literature on the exhaustive causes of CH and pathophysiology of CH. Some books were consulted locally. Presently most of the references were obtained from downloading documents from the internet. The diagnosis of CH was made on the basis of a picture of CH seen in a paediatric text book ‘Disease in infancy and childhood’ by Ross G. Mitchell.

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