Feature Stories

Abuja ‒ Adenike Olayemi says Nigeria’s cervical cancer screening programme saved her life: “I cannot imagine what could have happened if I had not done the screening and gone for treatment.”

Olayemi, 43, who lives in Ondo State, was among 667 women who tested positive for the human papillomavirus (HPV) and underwent treatment to avert cervical cancer during a campaign in 2023, funded by the Susan Thompson Buffet Foundation and supported by World Health Organization (WHO) in the African Region.

Lusaka – Zambia has the third highest burden of cervical cancer in the world, with an incidence rate of 65.5 per 100 000 women and a mortality rate of 43.4 per 100 000 women in 2020. Despite being a preventable and treatable disease, cervical cancer accounts for about 23% of all new cancer cases in the country. The peak age at diagnosis is between 40-49 years.

Juba – In South Sudan, 19 of the 20 neglected tropical diseases are endemic, posing a huge health threat. More than 12 million people are at risk of infection from these diseases that can cause severe pain, disabilities and deformities among other devastating impacts.

Lusaka ‒ Imeldah Chulu lives near Matero level 1 hospital in Lusaka District, Zambia. The hospital houses one of the six community-based cholera treatment units in the district, adding to the two bigger cholera treatment centres at the National Heroes Stadium and Levy Mwanawasa University Teaching Hospital. 

Luanda – With ongoing cholera outbreaks in neighbouring countries, Angola is stepping up preparedness measures to effectively respond to potential emergence of the disease in the country.

Harare – Forty-six-year-old Goodluck Moyo* from Chitungwiza, a town just outside the country’s capital, Harare, started feeling unwell after his day shift at work. “I suspect it was the water I drank while at work,” he says. “I got worse rapidly. I was rushed to the 24-hour clinic in my area, where I was put on a drip.” He was later referred to the cholera treatment centre at Chitungwiza General Hospital for further treatment.

Lusaka – As the cholera outbreak in Zambia continues to expand rapidly, efforts are being stepped up to halt the spread of disease and save lives. A vaccination campaign is currently underway targeting 1.5 million people, including children, health workers and people at high risk of infection in the worst affected areas.

Brazzaville ‒ Widespread flooding due to unusually heavy rainfall in the Republic of Congo has left more than 336 000 people in need of urgent humanitarian assistance. The floods have also damaged health facilities and schools and submerged swaths of farmland.