Feature Stories

Brazzaville – Salomon*, in his 30s, arrives for his consultation with an envelope containing the results of his laboratory tests and an x-ray of his lungs, which he hands to Amélie Makoundou, public health assistant at the Brazzaville Tuberculosis (TB) Centre. After a thorough inspection, Makoundou says: “It’s okay, you’re cured.” Salomon remains impassive, as if he hasn’t heard what the assistant said. She repeats: “You can stop treatment, you are cured.” Salomon, who has just completed six months of treatment, thanks Makoundou and leaves with a broad smile.

Brazzaville – Significant progress has been made in TB diagnostics in the past decade as countries in the African region embrace new technologies. However, many people still have no access to modern testing, which are often limited to major laboratories in large cities and leave out many due to high costs. Dr Jean de Dieu Iragena, a WHO expert on TB diagnostics in the African Region, discusses these technologies and how to bring them closer to people, so that challenges like multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) can be properly managed and controlled.

Lomé – In January 2024, Yao*, a 67-year-old farmer living in Agou, about 100 kilometres north-west of Lomé, experienced unusual discomfort that led him to seek medical attention. These included chest pains and unexplained intense fatigue that lasted for a fortnight. Following tests, he was diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB). “I was surprised and very sad to find out that I had the disease. I had suffered too much and I wanted to be cured by any means necessary,” he recalls. 

Kagera, Tanzania ‒ Domitina Kahira, a resident of Biharamulo District in Tanzania’s north-eastern Kagera Region, is treading a difficult path to recovery after losing her husband to Marburg virus disease in early January 2025.

Luanda – One morning in late January 2025, Julia Armando found her 68-year-old mother collapsed on the floor, suffering from severe diarrhoea and vomiting. “It’s a situation I’ve never seen before… it was a shock to see my mother lying on the floor without strength,” she says. Armando rushed her mother to the nearest cholera treatment centre, where she was treated and thankfully made a full recovery.

Brazzaville – Onchocerciasis – commonly known as river blindness – is a major public health problem in Congo. Once confined to rural communities living close to rivers and farmlands, the disease is now present in urban settings, particularly in communities located close to watercourses.

Freetown ‒ Sierra Leone is deploying a range of measures to control and end an outbreak of mpox in which 20 cases have so far been reported since the disease was confirmed on 13 January 2025.

Nouakchott – Mauritania has witnessed a significant decline in leprosy cases in recent years thanks to sustained efforts that have led to improvements in prevention, detection and treatment. Only 17 new cases were recorded in 2023 compared with 42 reported in 2010.