Cameroon Integrates Climate-Linked Disease Monitoring Platform into Public Health System

Cameroon has transferred PlaCARD (Platform for Collecting, Analyzing and Reporting Data), a digital disease surveillance platform developed by the Pasteur Center of Cameroon, to the Ministry of Public Health, marking a new step in integrating climate data into the country’s public health surveillance system.

The official handover took place on June 26. Initially developed during the Covid-19 pandemic with support from the French Embassy’s Cooperation and Cultural Action Service, PlaCARD has since evolved into a platform that combines epidemiological surveillance with climate analysis.

Rather than simply collecting health data, the system brings together epidemiological, meteorological and geospatial information to help identify areas at higher risk of disease outbreaks.

Using climate signals to anticipate outbreaks

The platform is based on a growing body of evidence showing that climate change is altering the spread of infectious diseases. Flooding, heavy rainfall, rising temperatures and seasonal weather patterns can all increase the risk of diseases such as cholera, malaria and other vector-borne illnesses.

“When it rains and there are floods, we know very well that cholera outbreaks occur. There is also more malaria, as well as arboviruses and other vector-borne diseases. All these diseases are strongly influenced by climate change,” said Dr. Mirdad Kazanji, Director General of the Pasteur Center of Cameroon.

By combining climate and health indicators, PlaCARD is designed to move disease surveillance beyond responding to outbreaks after they occur. Instead, it aims to identify areas where outbreaks are more likely following specific weather events, allowing health authorities to intervene earlier.

From a Covid-19 tool to climate-health surveillance

According to the Pasteur Center, PlaCARD has gradually expanded beyond its original purpose during the pandemic. The platform now integrates infectious disease data with meteorological information, including flood data, to support predictive analysis.

“It is a very powerful tool that was created during Covid-19 and has since been improved to incorporate meteorological and climate data, including floods, alongside infectious disease data in order to predict outbreaks in different regions and guide interventions,” Kazanji said.

Its transfer to the Ministry of Public Health marks a shift from a research-based platform to a government-operated decision-support tool.

Bringing together health and climate data

PlaCARD collects and integrates health, climate and geospatial information while connecting with external databases and predictive models. The Pasteur Center says the platform converts complex analyses into operational information that public health teams and policymakers can use to prioritize interventions.

Rather than serving as a data repository, its main value lies in generating early warnings, assessing risks and supporting faster decision-making.

Designed around local data

Project leaders say the platform was built using Cameroon-specific data to improve the relevance of public health responses.

According to Dr. Gladys Nonamele, who leads the Climate and Health project at the Pasteur Center, the goal was to develop a system based on local climate and health information rather than relying solely on global datasets. She said the platform is intended to help authorities identify affected areas more quickly, reduce disease cases and better match interventions to local needs.

Strengthening public health surveillance

PlaCARD will complement surveillance tools already used by the Ministry of Public Health, including the One Health platform, which monitors diseases that spread between animals and humans.

Together, these systems are expected to support a more integrated approach to monitoring risks across human health, animal health and environmental conditions. As climate change places growing pressure on health systems, Cameroon is seeking to strengthen its ability not only to respond to disease outbreaks but also to anticipate them before they escalate.

Ludovic Amara