Feature Stories

Harare - Zimbabwe has bolstered its ability to detect and respond to poliovirus outbreaks with the commissioning a state-of-the-art Environmental Surveillance (ES) laboratory unit within the National Polio Laboratory. This significant milestone, which was marked by an official commissioning ceremony, enables the country to test wastewater for poliovirus, allowing for early detection of the virus and allowing timely response to potential outbreaks.

Brazzaville – Salomon*, in his 30s, arrives for his consultation with an envelope containing the results of his laboratory tests and an x-ray of his lungs, which he hands to Amélie Makoundou, public health assistant at the Brazzaville Tuberculosis (TB) Centre. After a thorough inspection, Makoundou says: “It’s okay, you’re cured.” Salomon remains impassive, as if he hasn’t heard what the assistant said. She repeats: “You can stop treatment, you are cured.” Salomon, who has just completed six months of treatment, thanks Makoundou and leaves with a broad smile.

Lomé – In January 2024, Yao*, a 67-year-old farmer living in Agou, about 100 kilometres north-west of Lomé, experienced unusual discomfort that led him to seek medical attention. These included chest pains and unexplained intense fatigue that lasted for a fortnight. Following tests, he was diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB). “I was surprised and very sad to find out that I had the disease. I had suffered too much and I wanted to be cured by any means necessary,” he recalls. 

Brazzaville – Significant progress has been made in TB diagnostics in the past decade as countries in the African region embrace new technologies. However, many people still have no access to modern testing, which are often limited to major laboratories in large cities and leave out many due to high costs. Dr Jean de Dieu Iragena, a WHO expert on TB diagnostics in the African Region, discusses these technologies and how to bring them closer to people, so that challenges like multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) can be properly managed and controlled.

Kagera, Tanzania ‒ Domitina Kahira, a resident of Biharamulo District in Tanzania’s north-eastern Kagera Region, is treading a difficult path to recovery after losing her husband to Marburg virus disease in early January 2025.

Mbaïki – Cyrille Bakake is a motorcycle ambulance driver at the Bagandou health centre, about 100 kilometers from Bangui, the Central African Republic’s capital. This 30-year-old father of four, a farmer by trade, became an ambulance driver in 2018. His work is similar to that of any other ambulance driver, but his vehicle is a motorcycle. 

Abuja – As Nigeria intensifies efforts to halt the transmission of type 2 variant poliovirus, a high-level delegation from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative(GPEI), visited Abuja, Nigeria, 27-28 February 2025. During the visit, government, traditional leaders, and partners renewed their commitment to overcome remaining challenges to end polio in Nigeria.

Luanda – One morning in late January 2025, Julia Armando found her 68-year-old mother collapsed on the floor, suffering from severe diarrhoea and vomiting. “It’s a situation I’ve never seen before… it was a shock to see my mother lying on the floor without strength,” she says. Armando rushed her mother to the nearest cholera treatment centre, where she was treated and thankfully made a full recovery.