At a vaccination center set under a neem tree in Hai Jalaba neighbourhood in Malakal town, Nyatuka Othow arrived with her three children, aged one, three and five years respectively to receive oral cholera vaccine.

“My children and I can’t miss this opportunity”, said Othow, a 32-year-old mother of three after taking the vaccine. “It scares me to hear people dying from cholera in Malakal, therefore I made it a routine to ensure that my children are vaccinated against all diseases, so they are protected”.

Botswana conducted a two-round polio supplementary vaccination campaign against the circulating Vaccine Derived Polio Virus type 2 (cVDPV2) in early 2023. Targeting the entire population of seven years old and below, 360.370 children were vaccinated during the first-round (February 2023), while 359.878 children were vaccinated across the country during the second round of the campaign (March 2023). cVDPV2 is a highly contagious viral disease that primarily affects children. It has plagued communities worldwide for decades.

Calabar, 4 April, 2023 - Cholera is endemic in Nigeria. It is highly contagious and occurs in places without safe water and proper sanitation. It causes profuse diarrhoea and vomiting, and without treatment can quickly lead to severe dehydration followed by death .

At about 6:40 pm on 17 January 2023, Gift Sunday-James, (35 years) shouts for help as she approaches the Primary Health Centre (PHC) located in Ovomum, Obabura Local Government Area (LGA), in Cross River State. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) Representative and the Japanese Ambassador to Namibia visited the Ohangwena region on 30 March 2023 for a field trip to observe the progress made in addressing malnutrition. The delegation was led by the Deputy Minister of Health and Social Services, Dr Esther Muinjangue. 

The Japanese government through the office of the Ambassador injected approximately N$ 2,6 million into the Ministry of Health and Social Services to address malnutrition while the WHO provided the technical support to successfully implement the project.

Uganda’s Ministry of Health (MOH), with support from World Health Organization (WHO), has convened a meeting to raise awareness and commitment on implementing sustainable priority interventions to prevent and control diabetes. The spotlight meeting was under the theme, Multi-Stakeholder Action for Achieving Global Targets for Diabetes.

Osun, 31 March, 2023 - “I was coughing out blood persistently for weeks, had fever, weakness, night sweats, severe chest pain. I had bought drugs from a patent medicine store, but it was not working. 

I was later diagnosed with TB at the National Youth Service orientation camp when I fell ill,” says 23 years old Adewale Adebukola, residing in Osun state. 

Adebukola has since been placed on treatment and is getting better. 

Towards the end of March, the Ministry of Health (MOH), in collaboration with World Health Organization (WHO) and partners assessed progress made on the implementation of the sector interventions during the Financial Year 2021/2022.  

^{By Tatenda Chimbwanda}

Mutare, Zimbabwe – Nine-year old Ngakudzwe, was diagnosed with inguinal hernia when he was only four years old. With little knowledge of the condition- and no money to seek medical help- his father, Mr Nicholas Mwanditani, had no option but just pray so that his son would feel less pain.