Feature Stories

Douala—Since June 2023, Cameroon has been implementing the “Healthy Food Market” project in two pilot markets in Douala: Ndogpassi and New Deido. Described as a transformational and social initiative, the project is based on scientific evidence to encourage behaviour change within the community of traders. 

Arba Minch, South Ethiopia Region—March 2026 will forever be etched in the memory of 40-year-old Datare Debebe Dasho. A resident of Genata Village in Gacho Baba Woreda (District) in South Ethiopia Region, Datare is a survivor of catastrophic landslides that occurred between 9 and 10 March.

Heavy and continuous rainfall triggered multiple landslides and flooding across eight woredas in Gamo Zone, South Ethiopia Region, leaving widespread destruction and loss of life. At least 125 deaths have been reported, with 81 bodies recovered so far.

Busuma, Burundi—Burundi is facing a growing humanitarian emergency as thousands of people fleeing violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo continue to cross the border, placing increasing strain on health services and infrastructure in refugee-hosting communities.

Freetown—Sierra Leone has scored a major public health milestone by exceeding national targets in a recent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign, helping to accelerate progress towards eliminating cervical cancer as a public health threat by 2030.

Blantyre—Around 1.3 million children in Malawi have been vaccinated against polio in a four-day campaign following the detection of a new circulating variant polio case in late January 2026. This variant polio case is the first reported in the country since 2022, when wild poliovirus — genetically linked to an outbreak in Pakistan — was confirmed in Malawi.

Juba—South Sudan’s sustained cholera outbreak response has reduced new cases and prevented around 94 000 deaths since the confirmation of the outbreak more than two years ago in September 2024.  

Maputo—Health authorities in Mozambique have intensified emergency response to assist hundreds of thousands of people devastated by severe flooding in the southern and central regions since mid-December 2025. 

The flooding has affected more than 720 000 people, with 75% residing in Gaza Province. Around 100 000 people are being housed in 113 temporary accommodation centres in Gaza, Maputo, Sofala, Manica, Tete and Zambezia provinces, and Maputo City. 

Ouagadougou ‒ “When I heard the town crier announce that health workers were coming for free screening, I felt afraid: if they told me I had the disease, how would I get treated? But I thought of my children and decided to go,” says Awa, 48, a mother of six living in Ipendo, in Burkina Faso’s Centre-West region.