Health & HIV
Healthy children become healthy adults: people who create better lives for themselves and their communities. See how UNICEF is supporting the Government of Cameroon to improve immunization coverage and provide access to quality healthcare.
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The challenges
The maternal mortality ratio decreased from 782 to 406 deaths per 100,000 live births between 2011 and 2018. Every year, 336,000 children die before their 5th birthday, and almost 28/1,000 die on their first day of life. The main causes are HIV, acute respiratory infections, diarrhoea and malaria. Only 69% of births are attended by qualified staff and only 65% of pregnant mothers undergo the recommended 4 prenatal consultations. Newborn deaths make up about one-third of deaths under the age of five, and nearly half of these occur within the first year. There are significant differences in mortality rates among regions, with particularly high neonatal mortality rates in the North (42 deaths per 1,000 live births), Far North and Adamawa (40 deaths per 1,000), and East (39 deaths per 1,000) regions.
Evidence shows that 1/3 of newborn deaths occur during the first 24 hours and 3/4 during the first seven days. Immunization coverage is not optimal, at 82.5%. 3 million children do not complete the vaccination schedule, and 112,326 children have never received a dose of vaccine. The Far North is worst affected.
Neonatal mortality has remained stagnant with no significant progress made, from 31 to 28 deaths per 1,000 live births between 2011 and 2018 despite efforts deployed by the Government and partners in terms of developing policies, guidelines for newborn care, the extension of KMC, human capacity building, equipment of health facilities including WASH, point of care technology for HIV Early Infant Diagnosis(EID) and Viral Load.
The under-five mortality rate has progressively declined from 122 to 80 deaths per 1,000 live births between 2011 and 2018. Estimations published by the United Nations Group on Child Mortality reveal that, the pace of decrease is slowing down. From 4 points of percentage annual reduction, Cameroon is standing at 2 points of yearly reduction percentage since 2018. It is worth noting that boys are dying more than girls.
Malaria remains the main killer despite the free treatment policy for the under-five adopted since 2011. 41% of children suffering from respiratory tract infection (pneumonia) do not receive treatment. 72.2% of children in urban areas received treatment or sought care against 45.6% in the rural areas.
HIV/AIDS
The HIV epidemic in Cameroon is still generalized despite a significant drop in the national prevalence from 4.3 to 2.7 between 2011 and 2018 in the 15-49 age group. HIV transmission rates among exposed infants at 6-8 weeks dropped from 3.22% in 2023 to 1.78% in 2024, surpassing the 2.5% target. However, there is still a high number of people, more than 500,000 living with HIV.
With regards to HIV treatment, only 34.2% of children less than 10 years old and 32.4% of adolescents 10-19 years living with HIV are identified and put on antiretroviral treatment. Poor knowledge also contributes to low service utilization. Indeed, among people aged 15-49 years, between 28% and 41% have a complete understanding of HIV transmission and only 55% of women aged 15-24 years have already done an HIV test.
In HIV/AIDS and PMTCT Achievements, UNICEF’s contributions led to a significant reduction in HIV transmission rates among exposed infants, from 3.22% in 2023 to 1.78% in 2024. This achievement reflects UNICEF’s comprehensive support for Preventing Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) services. By deploying six regional experts to high-burden areas, UNICEF strengthened the implementation of high-impact interventions, including testing and antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation for pregnant women.
UNICEF’s role in developing and distributing essential HIV commodities ensured that stock-outs of critical supplies were avoided. The establishment of a functional laboratory network enhanced diagnostics and commodity management, improving service delivery for mothers and children.
Innovative approaches, such as family testing and community-based service delivery, increased ART coverage and reduced loss to follow-up. Prophylactic ART coverage for HIV-exposed infants exceeded the 2024 target, reaching over 100%, ensuring comprehensive care.
The solutions
Health and HIV programme use five main strategies to achieve the expected results:
- Strengthening an enabling environment through Leadership and governance, advocacy and policy dialogue, resource mobilization, partnerships, decentralization,
- Health system strengthening by building the capacities of health services, scaling up integrated quality MNCH package, strengthening vaccines supplies and cold chain systems
- Demand generation and community engagement and participation through community empowerment, community-based health care delivery, demand generation, and child-friendly Communities as well as Communes de Convergence development
- Strengthening of PMTCT through task shifting and task sharing from doctors to nurses and non-health actors, scaling up Point-of-Care technologies for HIV early infant diagnosis and viral load testing, and psychosocial support to reduce stigmatization and discrimination
- Combination of HIV prevention and HIV care and treatment for children and adolescents through the promotion of youths and adolescents in HIV prevention programme, scaling up of innovations such as m-Health, U-report and social media to reach more youths and adolescents with HIV prevention information, strengthening the capacities of primary health care facilities to deliver antiretroviral treatment to children and adolescents living with HIV.
Finally, UNICEF’s strategic implementation of advocacy, innovation, and community engagement has driven systemic and transformative progress. The organization’s efforts have reduced health disparities, strengthened systems, and addressed bottlenecks, ensuring that no child is left behind. By leveraging partnerships, data-driven decision-making, and risk-informed programming, UNICEF continues to position Cameroon’s health system to meet emerging challenges while advancing the rights and well-being of children and families.
Key results
Since 2020, Cameroon sustained its maternal and newborn tetanus elimination status and remained polio-free.
During this current programme cycle, 2022-2026, vaccination coverage on DTP3 increased from 79.2% in 2022 to 82.5% in 2023 and 2024, slightly below the 85% target.
HIV transmission rates among exposed infants at 6-8 weeks dropped from 3.22% in 2023 to 1.78% in 2024, surpassing the 2.5% target.
These achievements reflect UNICEF’s strategic contributions in addressing systemic bottlenecks, promoting equity, and enhancing service delivery across the country.
To support Immunization and Disease Elimination, UNICEF played a critical role in maintaining Cameroon’s polio-free status and sustaining maternal and newborn tetanus elimination.
Through nationwide risk analyses for vaccine-preventable diseases, UNICEF identified high-risk areas, which informed targeted interventions such as Supplementary Immunization Activities (SIAs). These efforts reduced vulnerabilities to outbreaks in high-risk zones.
Since January 22, 2024, UNICEF has supported Cameroon as the first African country to introduce malaria in 42 priority districts, vaccinating over 129,587 children (52% of the annual target) by October 2024. This initiative, supported by UNICEF and partners, aims to save thousands of children's lives. The vaccine requires four doses and will be given alongside other routine childhood vaccines for simplicity.
To improve routine immunization, UNICEF supported decentralized monitoring of health interventions in 64 districts, empowering local actors to address bottlenecks. Innovations like Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping enabled targeted vaccination of 73,151 zero-dose children and 100,318 under-immunized children during the "Big Catch-Up" campaign, reducing disparities in immunization coverage. 124,490 received the HPV vaccination, with 69,232 being girls.
By strengthening cold chain systems, UNICEF increased the proportion of facilities with Performance Quality Safety (PQS)---compliant equipment from 65% to 70%. Advocacy for government pre-financing of solar refrigerators further aligned immunization efforts with climate resilience goals.
The Child-Friendly Community (CFC) initiative further exemplified UNICEF’s integrated approach. In seven municipalities, the initiative promoted essential family practices, nutrition, birth registration, and immunization, supported by 197 newly trained community health workers, bringing the total to 2,571 in UNICEF-supported areas.
In Primary Healthcare and Community Health sector, in close collaboration and partnership with the Government of Cameroon and other key partners, UNICEF played a pivotal role in organizing the first National Forum on Primary Health Care (PHC) and Community Health, mobilizing 3,576 participants—three times the initial target of 1300. Through strategic advocacy, UNICEF influenced the adoption of the Yaoundé Declaration, committing stakeholders to institutionalize community health, strengthen financing, and enhance coordination. UNICEF’s advocacy emphasized equity, particularly by integrating voices from marginalized groups, religious leaders, and community health workers (mCHWs), ensuring the Declaration reflected inclusive priorities. This milestone exemplifies UNICEF’s success in creating transformative policy changes. This marked a critical milestone in ensuring sustainable support for PHC.
In outbreak response, UNICEF achieved 99.97% coverage in cholera vaccination campaigns targeting flood-affected areas in the Far North.
Support for Mpox and yellow fever outbreaks included technical assistance, rapid response mechanisms, and public health communication.
For Neonatal and Maternal Health, UNICEF’s leadership in scaling up Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) addressed critical gaps in neonatal care. In the East and Adamawa regions, 72% of preterm and low-birth-weight infants received life-saving care in KMC units, reducing neonatal mortality.
Decentralized monitoring and capacity-building initiatives enhanced maternal health services, ensuring access to high-quality care.
By supporting medical oxygen plants and distributing equipment, UNICEF tackled hypoxemia in mothers and children, further improving survival rates.
In Climate-Resilient Health Systems area, UNICEF supported Innovative solutions, including climate-friendly integrated health facilities and low-emission biomedical waste incinerators, reinforced Cameroon’s health system's resilience to climate change, ensuring sustainable service delivery.
Partnerships
Achieving transformative results for children in Cameroon was made possible through strategic collaborations with the government, civil society, UN agencies, the private sector, and academic institutions. These partnerships, supported by UNICEF’s Regular Resources (RR) funding, thematic funds, and other flexible contributions, drove innovation, addressed systemic challenges, and expanded equitable service delivery.
UNICEF also collaborated with the MoH and the World Bank to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the procurement of 763,200 COVID-19 vaccine doses through the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT). This strengthened national efforts to combat the pandemic while sustaining routine immunization services.
UN Agencies and Global Partners: UNICEF worked closely with WHO, USAID, CDC, Rotary International, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), and others to address the circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) outbreak. These partnerships facilitated 3 rounds of polio vaccination campaigns, reaching over 6.7 million children under five and strengthening disease surveillance systems.
In HIV/AIDS interventions, UNICEF partnered with UNFPA to incorporate HIV components into midwifery and nursing curricula, equipping future healthcare providers to deliver integrated sexual and reproductive health services. Under the Joint UN Team on AIDS (JUNTA), pooled resources addressing the needs of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in conflict-affected regions, improving continuity of care and reducing loss to follow-up.
With GAVI, WHO, and the Clinton Health Access Initiative, UNICEF supported the development of the 2024-2028 Full Portfolio Planning and National Vaccination Strategy, providing the MoH with a comprehensive framework for sustainable immunization efforts.
UNICEF actively engaged civil society organizations (CSOs), youth networks, women’s groups, and municipalities to tackle vulnerabilities among marginalized populations. Through the “Ending HIV in Cities” initiative, CSOs enabled youth to access accurate HIV/AIDS information and community-based care, enhancing prevention, treatment, and care strategies.
A partnership with the Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA) strengthened cold chain capacity and routine vaccine management. This included the deployment of 331,200 doses of the malaria vaccine RTS,S, a breakthrough in reducing childhood malaria cases.
Regular Resources and thematic funds, alongside contributions from the Government of Cameroon, the Islamic Development Bank, and the UN Joint Budget on AIDS (UBRAF), were pivotal to UNICEF’s success. These funds supported initiatives like the Child-Friendly Communities program, the First 1,000 Days initiative, and HIV/AIDS prevention strategies targeting adolescents and young women. Innovation funds from UNICEF HQ further enhanced these efforts.
Collaborations with academic institutions, such as Southampton University, and private sector partners drove research, capacity building, and innovation. For instance, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) under the Reach the Unreached project mapped underserved populations, enabling targeted vaccination campaigns and improved health service delivery in remote areas.