Public health experts in Sierra Leone are meeting to review data of the past three months on trend of priority diseases in the country. Drawn from the technical and administrative levels from the national and districts in the country, as well as partners, the experts will monitor and evaluate the surveillance indicators and performance of

The World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with the Uganda’s Ministry of Health, has commenced a five-day training for 29 emergency responders from five African countries. The training scheduled for 15th to 19th August 2022 at the Commonwealth Resort Hotel Munyonyo is intended to build regional capacity to respond to the unpredictable nature of outbreaks

Meemuna Sadam* is a public health expert in the Somali Region in Ethiopia. Together with her colleagues, she raises awareness and provides education on female genital mutilation (FGM) to communities and also conducts advocacy actions targeting religious leaders.  Meemuna is also a victim of FGM. “I was only six years old when they cut and

Hailu Sabagadis, Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Officer at WHO Ethiopia, and his team in Benishangul Gumuz Region have been regularly providing onsite and remote technical support to multiple healthcare facilities in the region. Hailu assesses and monitors the facilities' IPC capabilities and proper implementation of COVID-19 and other infection prevention activities. After a thorough

By Tatenda Chimbwanda Chiredzi, Zimbabwe - Malaria remains a public health threat in Zimbabwe, with more than half the population at risk of contracting malaria annually. Despite the progress made, malaria still accounts for about 40% of outpatient attendances in the moderate to high transmission districts, especially during the peak transmission period. Zimbabwe has adopted

Mulikat Okanlawan works as a hygiene officer at the Sokoto Noma Children’s Hospital in the northern corner of Nigeria. Mulikat first came to the hospital more than 20 years ago to receive treatment for noma, a neglected tropical disease that if untreated leads to severe disfigurement and often death.“I used to cry every day. I didn’t

As director of a national network of women living with HIV in Zimbabwe, Tendai Westerhof was used to challenging stigma. When the COVID-19 vaccine became available, she became alarmed by the fear and disinformation she saw spreading on social media.“Each time you open a WhatsApp group, people are saying this about COVID. You go on

Reginald Omulo, a farmer in Migori County, Kenya, noticed that the tobacco farming his community practiced was affecting families’ health and well-being.“There are many diseases associated with tobacco farming that affect the environment and people,” he said. “There were sudden deaths.”Worse yet, he saw that children who lost parents to the dangers of tobacco farming

Lilongwe, 11 August 2022 – Malawi today kicked off the third round of vaccination against wild poliovirus type 1 to protect all under 5 children and halt the devastating virus from spreading. Around 3.4 Million vaccine doses will be administered in the third round of the national mass vaccination campaign. The multiple vaccination rounds aim to

A well-known goalkeeper and football coach both in his native Senegal and across West Africa, Lamine Thiare uses his considerable influence to transmit a simple message to young people: “Do not smoke!” he warns them emphatically.Growing up, Lamine saw how smoking damaged his own father’s health. “He had no appetite, his body was weak. But

Macron Chauluka is a community health worker on the front lines of Malawi’s ongoing fight against the wild poliovirus.After an outbreak of the virus, which can paralyze and even cause death, was declared in the country in February 2022, a total of around 2.9 million children, who are most at risk, were identified nationwide for

Marthe Apuwa Mbila is a single mother of two children living in Lusengo, a remote area of the Democratic Republic of Congo.Marthe was diagnosed with Ebola during the country’s 11th outbreak of the disease in 2020. She received treatment at a local hospital and made a full recovery. Once she was well again, Marthe was eager to