1. WHO Africa

Photo Stories

Good handwashing habits for good health in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Butembo is a bustling city of around a million people in North Kivu Province in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and in a region known for growing tea and coffee. Since August 2018, it is also a region known worldwide for an outbreak of Ebola virus disease, the tenth and largest such outbreak in the country’s history.
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Following African nomads to find every child in need of polio vaccination

​​​​​​​When cases of wild poliovirus were detected in northern Nigeria in 2016, after more than two years without any reported case, the momentum for declaring the Africa region polio free was disrupted. A proactive response in the neighbouring countries of the Lake Chad Basin was quickly organized to overcome the immunization gaps, covering Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Niger and Nigeria.
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Tracking Ebola to its last refuges in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Ending the tenth Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) means searching, sometimes at extraordinary lengths, for people who possibly may have been infected by someone they know but are afraid to be treated. Some people have taken to hiding in the forests; some keep moving to evade the health workers and World Health Organization (WHO) contact tracing teams, like NAME NAME above, trained to search for people who came into contact unknowingly with a person infected with the virus. The point is to monitor their health condition and get them the medical care they need as quickly as possible if symptoms should occur.
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How fighting Ebola is helping one hospital prevent other diseases in the Democratic ...

Kitatumba Reference Hospital nestles on a hill in Butembo, which has been fighting an Ebola outbreak for the past year. With more than 80 health workers infected with Ebola since the outbreak came to the city in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, health facilities like Kitatumba are critical battle fronts. “This hospital was built in 1923, and many of the buildings are old, which makes it a challenge to maintain infection prevention and control standards,” says Dr Eugene Syalita Nzanzu, the Medical Director.
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WHO Malawi leads the health Sector’s response to the people severely affected cyclon...

Lilongwe 24 April 2019 - The torrential rains did not stop for three days and nights. It was on the fourth night that the walls gave way from the mud brick house that Eunice Sopo and her three children called home.

Parts of Mozambique and eastern Zimbabwe had been swept away before Cyclone Idai’s torrential rains hit Malawi, creating extraordinary flood conditions that swept away homes, crops and lives. At least 60 people died and approximately 87,000 have been displaced (source, OCHA).

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Winning Trust: A Reluctant Father’s Change of Heart on Vaccination for His Child

In the Ketu North District of Ghana, Erica Doe Hormeku, a passionate Community Health Nurse (CHN) at the Kasu Health Centre, dedicates herself to ensuring every child receives their routine immunization. Brimming with enthusiasm and commitment, Erica tirelessly follows up with caregivers, even those hesitant about vaccinating their children. Despite her best efforts, there are a few who remain adamant, which worries her deeply. 

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In the fight against Ebola, preparedness saves lives

Close to the border with the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where an Ebola outbreak continues, more than 100 community health volunteers in Cibitoke District, Burundi are having one of the more important discussions of their working lives: Dr Belyse Ndayimirije, a health promotion officer with the World Health Organization (WHO), advises them on how to prevent, detect and report suspected cases of the Ebola virus disease.
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