20 August 2022 Brazzaville/Kinshasa – Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are investigating a suspected case of Ebola virus disease, in the country’s eastern province of North Kivu. Thecountry’s National Institute of Biomedical Research (INRB) is in the process of testing samples to determine if the patient contracted Ebola.   The suspected case is a

Kaduna, 19 August 2022 - When health workers took the Tuberculosis (TB) testing outreach to Rigasa community, Kaduna State, Rabi Umaru, a 37-year-old housewife, did not need much convincing to get tested.  She had been coughing for two weeks but had not visited any health facility because of lack of funds.  “I usually hear on

By Tatenda Chimbwanda Kadoma, Zimbabwe – National Action Plans (NAPs) are essential tools used by governments to address the global threat posed by antimicrobial resistance (AMR).   NAPs provide a framework of sequence of actions to align activities of different stakeholders in different sectors toward one large goal of mitigating AMR. In 2017, the Government of

Niamey – As one of the first-ever female urologist surgeons in sub-Saharan Africa, Dr Médina NDoye regularly faces students’ astonishment at her choice to embrace a “male speciality”. “Unfortunately, this is a well-anchored stereotype in people’s mindset and surprisingly quite widespread in the medical community, too,” says Dr Ndoye. “As a female urologist, diving into

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