On September 3, 2025, Dr. Paige Alexandra Armstrong, Acting Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Global Health Center, began a three-day visit to Cameroon. The purpose of her trip is to meet with health partners and discuss ways to expand on the progress made during more than twenty years of collaboration between the CDC and Cameroon.
Dr. Armstrong leads the CDC’s global work focused on protecting and improving health through science and public health action. She was joined by U.S. Ambassador to Cameroon, Christopher J. Lamora, in meetings with Cameroon's Minister of Public Health, Dr. Manaouda Malachie. Discussions centered on ongoing partnerships between the CDC and Cameroon's Ministry of Public Health.
The CDC provides support in several areas in Cameroon, including efforts to prevent, detect, and respond to health emergencies; immunize children; and address diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis, influenza, and malaria. The agency also works closely with local authorities on programs related to PEPFAR (the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief), global health security initiatives, epidemic-prone diseases, workforce development, disease surveillance improvements, data platform enhancements, and laboratory system upgrades.
“Our support to Cameroon is more than a set of programs—it is a deep bilateral relationship that strengthens both Cameroon and the broader region while contributing to shared health priorities that help us fight dangerous health threats at their source,” Ambassador Lamora said.
During her stay in Cameroon, Dr. Armstrong plans to meet with implementing partners of the CDC and visit several key institutions including the National Public Health Laboratory, the Public Health Emergency Operations Center, Hopital Central, and Centre Pasteur du Cameroun.
According to officials involved in the visit, this engagement highlights both past American support for public health in Cameroon and continued commitment from the CDC toward future projects aimed at strengthening public health systems and improving outcomes across the country.