Following the detection of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) in environmental surveillance samples in Blantyre, and its subsequent confirmation among children in the community, Malawi rapidly activated a comprehensive outbreak response. The Ministry of Health, with support from the World Health Organization (WHO), the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), and partners, launched a nationwide response with one clear objective: protect every child and stop the virus before it spreads.

Nairobi - Kenya has launched the Kenya Health Products and Technologies Local Manufacturing Strategy 2026–2030, a five-year roadmap to expand local production of medicines, vaccines, diagnostics and medical devices, and to strengthen the regulatory systems that keep them safe, effective and of assured quality.

Nouakchott, Mauritania, 14 July 2026 – WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, concluded a visit to Mauritania today to reaffirm WHO's support for the country's efforts to position health as a strategic investment for economic development, regional stability and human security. During the visit, Dr Tedros met with His Excellency President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani and participated in the Regional Health Invest Forum, which culminated in the adoption of the Nouakchott Declaration on enhancing local production and investment in health.

N’Djamena—In the nomadic settlement of Mandjafa, on the outskirts of N’Djamena, Afia travelled with her four-month-old daughter, Fatma, to benefit from services provided during an integrated outreach activity for nomadic communities. For this mother of five, these interventions play an essential role in protecting her family’s health.

“Vaccines help keep my children healthy. As soon as they become ill, I take them to the health centre,” she said.

Benin City, Mrs Ann Obehi Ojugo moved slowly to the front of the room. She paused before speaking.

“I was just a child when I fell sick,” she said. “My parents did not know about immunization. By the time help came, it was too late. I have lived with this ever since. Please, do not let another child go through this.”

Her message was simple: vaccines can prevent conditions like this.

Her story reflects a gap that still exists in parts of Edo State. Some children have never received a single vaccine. They are known as zero-dose children.

Adré, Chad—When Zara arrived in Adré in June 2023 after fleeing the conflict in Sudan, she was 19 years old. Shortly afterwards, she was assaulted by several men while visiting her grandmother in another section of the site where she was living with her family. A few weeks later, she learned that she was pregnant.

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — The World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with the Ministry of Health of Ethiopia, supported a landmark Training of Trainers (ToT) programme on Integrated Care for Older People (ICOPE), bringing together multidisciplinary health workers to transform how care is delivered to older persons across primary health care services.

Funded by the Government of Japan through the TICAD9 Japanese Supplementary Budget (JFY2025), the initiative is part of the broader project “Restoring and Digitizing Health Services in Ethiopia.”