In a bit to create awareness, provide protective measures against the deadly Corona virus epidemic, we organized a three-day campaign to fight against the spread of the COVID-19 in Cameroon in partnership with OJ GRAPHICS, ERICO Business Center and THE BRAINS. Through this campaign, we distributed over 1000+ face masks and hand sanitizers.
Health officials around the world are rushing to contain the spread of COVID-1 9, a respiratory illness that has infected more than 1 ,000,000 people and killed over 1 00,000 people worldwide. What started as a mysterious illness has turn into a global pandemic with mass ramification. In December 201 9, a new respiratory disease began to spread throughout Wuhan, China, a city of 11 million people in Hubei Province. The disease, known as COVID-1 9, quickly infected tens of thousands of people over the ensuing weeks. This virus seems to have to been contained inside China while it rapidly spread in Europe and around the world. Many countries including France, Italy, and USA have imposed severe restrictions on work, school, travel and daily live in order to try to contain the virus. It is hard to know the true number of the people who have been infected since symptoms can be milled or undetectable.
Certain groups are more at risk of COVID-1 9 than others including other adults and those with compromised immune systems. People who have chronic medical conditions like heart disease, diabetes and lung disease are also more at risk. Young people are not immune from risk, however more than a third of those hospitalized are younger than 55. In France, Netherland, younger people make up half of the ICU patients.
Patients with COVID-1 9 experience milled to severe respiratory illness with symptoms including fever, coughing and shortness of breath. Other symptoms may include aches, pains nasal congestion and running nose, Sore throat or diarrhea. It is possible to have COVID-1 9 without having symptoms. Most people recover from the COVID-1 9 without needing a special treatment.
Influenza and COVID-1 9 share a number of similarities and can present in the same ways. Both of them can cause fever, coughing, body aches and can lead to pneumonia. They are also both contagious and can spread from person to person through coughing and sneezing. The difference between the two, flu symptoms often come quickly, COVID-1 9 symptoms may be gradual and can take a week to present. The best way to protect yourself from the illness is to avoid being exposed. Other measures are wash your hands frequently, avoid close contacts and not touch your face.
The Mukoko’s Hope Foundation is going to work with a team of 50 volunteers to provide and distribute protective measures (hand sanitizer and face masks), to do a door-to-door sensitization on the awareness of COVID-1 9 and to build the capacity of the indigenes of Tiko on how to make the home made protective measures (hand sanitizers and face masks) as for now the index cases recently reported in Cameroon stand at 820 confirmed cases, 98 recovered cases and 12 deaths .
THE CAMPAIGN FOR THE FIGHT AGAINST COVID-1 9 in the Tiko municipality organized by MUKOKO’S HOPE FOUNDATION in partnership with OJ GRAPHICS, ERICO BUSINESS CENTER AND THE BRAINS had as objectives to create awareness, provide protective measures, capacity building and reduce mobility.
The campaign ran for three (03) days, from the 8th to the 1 0th of April 2020. The campaign targeted the entire population of Tiko with strategic areas such as the Tiko roundabout, Tiko town and Likomba locality. During the campaign our teams primary objectives were; sensitizing the people on the dangers and preventive measures of the virus, educating people on how to produce local hand sanitizers.
With a resilient team of over 50 members, divided in to four groups, our modus operandi was providing buckets, water, and detergents for proper hand washing and hand sanitizing after hand washing and providing face mask. Through the campaign we successfully educated, sanitized and provided face mask to 1000 plus people in Tiko. The campaign started on the 8th of April 2020 at the Tiko roundabout and continued on the 9th at Tiko town market and ended on the 10th of April 2020 at the Likomba locality.
Mary Ndinge Lyonga is a marketing assistant at Eagle Wings and Spice Located at Mutengene, Tiko Road.
She was once a Volunteer at the Tiko Council Community Radio for a period of 3 months under the Leadership of Mme Sarah Nkongho as the Station Manager. She is a graduate from the department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Faculty of Social and Management Science, University of Buea.