News Releases

State-of-the-art laboratory enhances Madagascar’s polio response

Antananarivo– A new state-of-the-art laboratory has bolstered Madagascar’s efforts to survey and detect polioviruses and effectively respond to the threat of the disease and protect children from its devastating impacts. 

The laboratory, which is fully accredited by World Health Organization (WHO), was handed over today to the national authorities. Hosted at the Institut Pasteur de Madagascar in the capital, Antananarivo, the laboratory reinforces the country’s position as a regional pillar in rapid poliovirus detection and outbreak response.

Senegal Introduces Hexavalent Vaccine into its National Immunization Programme

Dakar - On July 1, 2025, Senegal officially launched the introduction of the hexavalent vaccine into its Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI). Following in Mauritania's footsteps, Senegal is part of this regional dynamic of vaccine innovation. This vaccine is a combination that protects against six diseases: diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib), and poliomyelitis. It replaces the pentavalent and inactivated polio vaccines (IPV), previously administered separately.

WHO supporting Guinea restore vaccine capacity after fire damage

Conakry - Following a fire accident at a vaccine depot in Guinea’s capital Conakry, World Health Organization (WHO) is supporting the authorities to devise urgent measures, including securing remaining vaccine stocks, to limit loss and prolonged impact of the damage. 

A crisis cell has been set up and contingency plans are being reinforced. 

Together, Lesotho’s blood donors save lives

Maseru ‒ One afternoon in May 2025, 48-year-old Lebohang Pitso* from Lesotho’s capital, Maseru, felt her life slipping away. Weakened from a bout of severe bleeding caused by cervical cancer, she sought emergency care at the city’s renowned Senkatana Oncology Clinic. A few hours after being admitted and receiving a blood transfusion, she felt a powerful transformation take place in her body.

“It was like a heavy cover was removed from my face,” she says. “The blood gave me life.”

WHO, Nigeria’s TY Danjuma Foundation sign agreement to advance health

Abuja – World Health Organization (WHO) in the African Region and TY Danjuma Foundation have signed a landmark US$ 2.26 million agreement to strengthen Nigeria’s national health priorities over the next decade. The partnership, formalized today in Abuja, Nigeria, marks a significant step in leveraging African philanthropy to address the country’s health challenges.