On April 11th 2025, CRID’s team was at the Saint Joseph Clinic of Nkol-Eton to initiate the practical phase of Project Program 1.
Dr Glwadys Cheteug from CRID revising the SOPs with Rev. Sister Tata Relindis, Matron of the clinic
The aim of this initial stage is to determine the prevalence of non-falciparum malaria in symptomatic populations in urban areas. In this vein, CRID staff under the supervision of Dr Elanga Emmanuel, Dr Glwadys Cheteug and Dr Daniel Nguiffo guided clinicians in the enrolment and collection of blood samples from patients having symptoms of malaria. The session began with the reception of necessary materials, including blood collection tubes, Malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs), gloves, questionnaires, lancets for capillary sampling and alcohol.
After a brief review of the standard operational procedure, the medical staff began enrolling patients. The first step consists in presenting the project to patients and letting them sign the consent form. The patient undergoes RDT, liquid blood spot (LBS), dry blood spot (DBS), thick drop, blood smear and haemoglobin test. If RDT is positive with PAN (indicating the presence of pLDH, an antigen common to human Plasmodium parasites species), the patient is eligible for venous blood collection in EDTA (Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) tube.
Reception of the refrigerator by clinic staff
Prior to this practical phase, a medical delegation from the Saint Joseph Clinic of Nkol-Eton (former “Centre Hospitalier Catholique de Nkol-Eton”) had been to CRID for training. They were: Rev. Sister Tata Relindis, senior nurse and Matron of the Centre, Kounou Virginie Yvette a nurse, Adelbert Lemfon and Hamga Henna Nestor, both Laboratory Technicians. The training session focused on equipping on-site personnel on the enrolment of participants, collection and handling of blood samples.
A week after launching the ICEMR – Enhancing Malaria Epidemiology Research through Genomics and Translational Systems biology (EMERGENTS) project, CRID donated a refrigerator to the Saint Joseph Clinic. This will ensure the optimal storage of reagents and blood samples, before they are transferred to CRID every week.
CRID’s team working on the International Centers of Excellence for Malaria Research (ICEMR) project consists of: Prof. Charles Wondji, PrincipaI Investigator at CRID; Dr Elanga Emmanuel and Dr Basile Kamgang, Co-Investigators; Dr Glwadys Cheteug and Dr Daniel Nguiffo, Postdoctoral research assistants; Eric Ndumu and Ornella Djiemo, PhD students; and Sidney Tche, Project Manager.They will be conducting a similar training at the “Cité des Palmiers” District hospital of Douala, the second site for patients’ enrolment as part of the implementation of the PP1 of the ICEMR-EMERGENTS project in Cameroon
