Feature Stories

Abuja, 15 March 2021 – After Yunusa Thairu became one of Nigeria’s earliest vaccination recipients, his mother received a text message that her son had taken the COVID-19 vaccine and something bad might happen to him. 

“She got super worried and gave me a call,” the doctor recalls. “I had to drive down to go see and assure her that I am fine, [that] there is nothing wrong with taking the vaccine. Upon seeing how healthy I was, she agreed to take the vaccine when it is available.”

The Gambia through His Excellence the President recently launched the momentous COVID-19 vaccination campaign. Since the launch on the 10th of March 2021, health workers among other prioritized groups are getting vaccinated.

To rapidly and sustainably stop outbreaks of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) in African countries, a modified vaccine, known as novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV) is now being rolled out.

In Kwa Bada village in north-eastern Tanzania, community health volunteer Sylvia Petro is hunting an ancient, endemic disease and shining a light on the devastating stigma that surrounds it.

At the helm of Tattali Iyali Foundation – a charity organization, Niger’s First Lady, Her Excellency Dr Lalla Malika Issoufou, has supported the country’s efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. She explains the impact the pandemic has had on women and the measures to protect them from further vulnerabilities.

In an incredible scientific feat, COVID-19 vaccines have been developed within less than a year after the virus was first detected. Several vaccines that have become available have shown different levels of efficacy. So what is vaccine efficacy? Dr Lee Hampton, a paediatrician and medical epidemiologist with GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, explains.

Niger has witnessed a decline in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks following a surge. Public Health Minister Hon. Botto Ahmet explains what it took to cut back infections and the efforts being strengthened to curb the spread of the virus.

With COVID-19 cases declining after a second wave of the pandemic in Mauritania saw an acute, fast rise, Minister of Health Minister Hon. Dr Mohamed Nedhirou Hamed shares what it took to limit the spread of the virus and the lessons learned that can be applied to an eventual COVID-19 vaccination.

Efforts to end female genital mutilation are gradually bearing fruit in Tanzania. The prevalence of the ritual that marks a rite of passage among some communities has now fallen to around 10% from 18% in 1996.

Having survived cancer, Christelle, a mother of five, is now tapping into her experience to raise awareness and kindle hope among cancer patients, making early detection the thrust of her message to women in communities around the Republic of Congo’s capital Brazzaville. She narrates how she overcame the disease and how her outreach is helping others.