[History of the onset and spread of sleeping sickness in Bipindi (southern Cameroon), from 1896 to today].

The aim of this article is to provide historical background on the onset and spread of sleeping sickness in the Bipindi area of southern Cameroon, from the first suspected cases in 1896 until today. Two recent events have created the need for historical perspective on this topic. In December 1994, an OCEAC mission led by Francis Louis discovered 7 cases in the area between the Lolodorf and Bipindi districts. The epicentre was the village of Bidjouka. Five years later, mass screening of all residents in the Bipindi district revealed a total of 44 cases. Although no previous medical studies are available, historical research indicates that the disease has always present in Bipindi area in a less prevalent and virulent form than in neighboring regions along the Nyong River. Bipindi is located about 140 kilometers northeast of Campo, an area on the border between Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea where sleeping sickness has been a low-grade health problem since the 1880s. Many Cameroonian refugees forced to live in Campo during a war that ended in February 1916 returned with the trypanosome and subsequently contaminated people who stayed in Bipindi. Transmission of sleeping sickness in Bipindi can also be attributed to economic development since the end of the nineteenth century. Numerous plantations have been installed in the area. Migration and trade with the Gulf of Guinea have expanded greatly, especially involving areas on the border between Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. This study is based on written documentations obtained from the National Archives in Yaoundé (Cameroon) and the "Colegio Claret" Library, in Luba (Republic of Equatorial Guinea) and on firsthand reports from reliable sources in the Bipindi area.