Feature Stories

Niamey – “Six months ago I went for check-up …  I thought it was something simple like flu, but my illness was much more serious,” says Ali, 47, from Talladje district of Niger’s capital Niamey. “I was diagnosed with tuberculosis and HIV.”

Abuja ‒ Around a year ago, Mallam Mainasara Mohammad, a resident of Makera,  a locality in Kebbi State, Nigeria, became increasingly worried about his son, nine-year-old Yusuf. The child had been coughing for weeks, had difficulty sleeping and unable to attend school.

Dar es Salaam ‒ One evening after work, 31-year-old Calvin Andrea went to the nearby Tumbi clinic in Kibaha Region, Tanzania, as he could not endure the severe tooth ache he was suffering. “To be honest, I was really sad about the discomfort I felt and the bad breath I was experiencing,” he says. 

Andrea was surprised to consult with an oral health professional as he has in the past struggled to access these services. “After the swift response from the doctors, I am much better and happy and I have been relieved of the extreme pain,” he says. 

Monrovia – Protecting her 13-year-old daughter, Jamsetta Kumeh, from human papillomavirus (HPV) overrode Buludi Martin’s reservations about the vaccine that prevents the infection that can cause cervical cancer. Today she is content that she made the correct decision.

“I was afraid, of course,” she admits. “There are so many stories about vaccines, and I wasn't sure if it was safe, but when I understood it protects against cervical cancer, I knew it was the right choice and it will protect Jamsetta for the future,” says Martin.

Harare ‒ Juliet Chikono, a resident of Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, is now relieved since she is among the more than 2.1 million Zimbaweans who were vaccinated against cholera in the single dose reactive campaign to curb the latest outbreak of the disease that has been reported in all of the country’s 10 provinces.

 “Our community has seen its share of challenges recently and I am taking steps to stay safe,” she says. 

Abuja ‒ Adenike Olayemi says Nigeria’s cervical cancer screening programme saved her life: “I cannot imagine what could have happened if I had not done the screening and gone for treatment.”

Olayemi, 43, who lives in Ondo State, was among 667 women who tested positive for the human papillomavirus (HPV) and underwent treatment to avert cervical cancer during a campaign in 2023, funded by the Susan Thompson Buffet Foundation and supported by World Health Organization (WHO) in the African Region.