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In a significant development for public health in Africa, Angola has reported its first case of MPOX (formerly known as Monkeypox), marking a new chapter in the ongoing battle against emerging infectious diseases. From now on, the country is facing an international health challenge that requires rapid and coordinated action, combining science, communication, and compassion to protect the population and reduce stigma.

The Namibia Medicines Regulatory Council’s (NMRC) Quality Surveillance Laboratory (QSL) conducted a pivotal workshop in Swakopmund from 2 to 6 December 2024, with financial support from the World Health Organization (WHO). The workshop focused on risk management, opportunity identification, and root cause analysis, aimed at strengthening the laboratory’s quality management system and enhancing operational efficiency, compliance, and continuous improvement.

In 2023, Ghana faced a major disaster when the spillage of excess water from the Akosombo Dam led to devastating floods in the Eastern, Volta, and Greater Accra Regions. The increased water flow in the Volta River inundated low-lying areas along its course, severely impacting communities such as Mepe, Battor, Sogakope, Mafi, Adidome, and Ada. Entire neighborhoods were submerged, forcing thousands to flee their homes and leaving a trail of destruction to lives, livelihoods, and infrastructure.

Juba, 10 December 2024 – Vaccinations have begun in response to a cholera outbreak in South Sudan.  Since 28 October 2024, a total of 2555 cases and 32 deaths have been reported, about 37% of them children. Some 150 000 people in Renk County are set to receive the life-saving vaccinations, procured and delivered with UN support. Over a million more vaccine doses are on the way to reach people across the country, including in the capital, Juba.

The Government of Botswana observed World Antimicrobial Awareness Week 2024 (18–24 November) under the theme, “Educate, Advocate, Act Now”, at the Machaneng Main Kgotla in the Mahalapye District on 22 November 2024.

Yenagoa, 05 December, 2024 – Happiness Iniye Wilson, with her 11-month-old daughter Ayibabomote strapped to her back, walked into the Family Support Programme Clinic in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. The clinic is one of the key sites for the introduction of the R21 malaria vaccine, a major public health intervention aimed at protecting children from one of the deadliest diseases in Nigeria.

Sierra Leone has made a noteworthy leap forward in its fight against cervical cancer, thanks to a two-week South-South collaboration with Zambia, supported by the World Health Organization (WHO) in November 2024. 

• Sierra Leone becomes the first country, among those most severely affected ten years ago by the West Africa Ebola outbreak, to launch nationwide preventive Ebola vaccination, targeting 20,000 frontline workers who will receive a single dose of Ebola vaccine