Infographics

In the early morning hours of Thursday, 28-year-old Maria Nyal, a resident of Malakal Centre Payam, walked into Malakal Teaching Hospital seeking medical care. Upon arrival, she was directed to see a doctor for consultation. After examination and laboratory tests, Nyal was diagnosed with malaria. However, when she returned to collect her prescribed medication, she was informed that the hospital pharmacy had run out of medicines. 

“This came as a shock to me because I could not afford to buy the medicine,” she narrated.

In light of the worrying rise in diseases linked to tobacco use, Angola is reinforcing its commitment to prevention, regulation, and the protection of young people. The Health Roundtable on Smoking, organized by World Health Organization (WHO), the Ministry of Health, and partners such as the Private University of Angola (UPRA), marks an important milestone in this collective effort.

Windhoek—At 13 years old, Andre Hansen thought smoking was simply part of growing up.

Like many teenagers trying to fit in, he smoked his first cigarette in the company of other boys in his neighbourhood of Windhoek, Namibia’s capital. What began as experimentation quickly turned into a 17-year-long dependence that would eventually open the door to other psychoactive substance use, the loss of relationships, stability and self-esteem.

Today, at 33 years old, Hansen has been tobacco-free and abstained from other substance use for more than two years.

Johannesburg — Mental health experts, policymakers, civil society organizations and partners from more than twenty African countries, meeting for the first-ever mental health intercountry meeting, have called for stronger, coordinated action to close critical gaps in mental health services in the region.

Praia, Cabo Verde. The World Health Organization (WHO) actively participated in the 2nd Summit on Health Care Integration in the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP), held from 13 to 15 May 2026, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a meeting that brought together policymakers, experts and partners to promote the integration of healthcare in CPLP countries. 

Kagera — As part of its commitment to strengthening health security under the National Action Plan for Health Security (NAPHS) and protecting communities from public health emergencies, the Government of Tanzania has intensified cross-border preparedness efforts against the ongoing Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak affecting neighboring countries.

Praia, Cabo Verde. With the aim of creating a learning platform to facilitate the exchange of experiences between countries and partners, gather lessons learnt, and support the development of future strategies to strengthen health fiscal policies, officials from the Ministries of Finance and Health attended a regional workshop entitled “From experience to impact: lessons and innovations in tobacco and other health taxes”. This workshop was organized by the University of Cape Town, a

Freetown - The Ministry of Health (MoH) and the National Public Health Agency (NPHA) have received sixteen Honda motorbikes from the World Health Organization (WHO), with support from the Pandemic Fund, to strengthen public health emergency preparedness and response across Sierra Leone.