Photo Stories

Freetown ‒ Sierra Leone has long had one of the world’s highest burdens of maternal mortality. But local health authorities have made commendable efforts to combat this devastating trend, as well high rates of infant mortality, with support from World Health Organization (WHO) and partners.

Kampala ‒ Uganda is witnessing an upsurge in mpox cases, with laboratory-confirmed cases increasing from 24 as of 21 September to 413 as of 7 November 2024.

Kampala ‒ When two cases identified in Uganda’s western Kasese district in late July 2024 were confirmed to be mpox, the health authorities soon declared an outbreak of the disease and launched measures to curb the spread of the virus.

Yaoundé – On 22 January 2024, Cameroon introduced the RTS,S malaria vaccine into its Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI). It thus becomes the first country to include the malaria vaccine in its routine immunisation schedule, following the malaria vaccination pilot programme conducted between 2019 and 2023 in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi.

Freetown ‒ Sierra Leone has one of the highest malaria burdens in the world, with more than 2 million hospital admissions a year, half of which are among children aged under 5 years ‒ accounting for 20% of deaths in this age group.

In addition to the existing tools in the fight against malaria, which include insecticide-treated nets, indoor spraying and effective diagnosis and treatment, two safe and effective vaccines ‒ RTS,S/AS01 (RTS,S) and R21 ‒ have been recommended by World Health Organization (WHO) to prevent malaria in children. 

Porto-Novo – Every day of the week, all primary and pre-primary pupils attending Benin's state schools are provided with a hot meal, served up in school canteens courtesy of the country’s National Integrated School Feeding Programme. The aim is to accelerate progress towards meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to the elimination of hunger, and health, well-being and education for all, while supporting increased school enrolment and retention rates.

Lusaka ‒ Zambia declared a cholera outbreak in October 2023. Three months later, cases began to decline as response efforts were strengthened through a concerted push by the national health authorities with support from international and local partners, frontline health workers and community-based volunteers. 

Bouake – In Cote d'Ivoire, in 2017, the maternal mortality rate was 614 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, a long way from the target of 140 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births expected by 2030. Gbeke is one of the health regions with one of the highest mortality rates in the country.

Faced with these maternal deaths, most of which are preventable, the Ivorian health authorities have approached the World Health Organization (WHO) for technical and financial assistance to reverse the trend.