Feature Stories

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. 

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.

Brazzaville – Onchocerciasis – commonly known as river blindness – is a major public health problem in Congo. Once confined to rural communities living close to rivers and farmlands, the disease is now present in urban settings, particularly in communities located close to watercourses.

Freetown ‒ Sierra Leone is deploying a range of measures to control and end an outbreak of mpox in which 20 cases have so far been reported since the disease was confirmed on 13 January 2025.

Bangui – In the ongoing efforts to eradicate polio, the Central African Republic has placed a special emphasis on reaching vulnerable and underserved populations. Populations in mining regions like Zoubala, a locality in the Bossombélé district about two hours from Bangui, the capital, face unique challenges and heightened risks of poliovirus transmission.