Infographics

When 9-year-old Romulus Jr. fell ill, his father, Romulus Thomas Blackie, thought it was just the flare-up of sickle cell disease which the child had complained of. He never imagined it would be Mpox - a disease that has infected more than 5 200 people and claimed 55 lives in Sierra Leone since January 2025. Cases have been confirmed in all 16 districts of the country with the capital city, Freetown and its suburbs, accounting for nearly 75% of all the reported cases.

The year 2025 has been one of profound transformation at World Health Organization (WHO), and the global United Nations (UN) due to the changing funding environment—testing the resilience and adaptability of the entire UN workforce. Amid global uncertainties and organizational changes, WHO has placed the mental health and well-being of its personnel at the heart of this transition.

Abuja, To curb the spread of mpox, Nigeria launched a targeted vaccination campaign across 12 high-burden states, aiming to protect vulnerable populations and strengthen outbreak response mechanisms.

Strengthening Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) remains a key priority in Namibia, with several stakeholders actively supporting efforts to improve the accuracy and completeness of Mortality and Causes of Death data. Reliable mortality data is essential for understanding the country’s health profile, monitoring progress toward national and global health targets, and guiding evidence-based policy decisions.

Surrounded by the wide Kwanza River, the municipality of Calumbo is known for the resilience and hard-working spirit of its people. Between August 15 and 17, the municipality joined the rest of the country in the First Round of the National Polio Vaccination Campaign, a large-scale operation that mobilized 1,000 health workers to administer 1.5 million doses of vaccine to 100,000 children. 

A WHO-supported house-to-house Mpox nationwide campaign in Sierra Leone, valued at a cost of USD 300,000, has significantly reduced the number of Mpox cases countrywide by 50% in one month.