Health news from Africa summarised in English: epidemics, public health, hospitals, accidents and natural disasters, from the local press. 496 articles published.
Updated around the clock from 450+ African and international news outlets in 54 countries. Every article names its source. Our method
The Gambian Food Safety and Quality Authority refused five trucks carrying potatoes at the Amdalai border after finding mould, spoilage and poor sanitary conditions. The inspection on 7 October 2026 also found no phytosanitary certificate, according to the authority, which cited the protection of the market and public health.
Source: Kerr Fatou
Clashes between armed civilians in Rumbek, in South Sudan’s Lakes State, have killed about 71 people, including four soldiers, according to a preliminary government tally. The fighting, which began on Friday after violence in Nyangkot, led to the deployment of security forces and the arrest of four suspects, Radio Tamazuj reports.
Source: Radio Tamazuj
The clinical director of Simão Mendes National Hospital, Luísa Oliveira Sanca Nhaga, is calling for stronger awareness and early screening for breast cancer. During a day organised on 9 October 2026, she advocated making Pink October initiatives a permanent prevention effort, according to O Democrata.
Source: O Democrata
Libya’s Air Ambulance Service transported 110 patients requiring specialist care on 88 flights in August and September 2026. The evacuations mainly took patients to Tunis, Cairo, Amman, Istanbul and Rome, according to Libya Herald.
Source: Libya Herald
Central African Health Minister Pierre Somse discussed renewing support for vaccination and epidemic control with Gavi, UNICEF and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The mission recommends strengthening health centres and is considering door-to-door vaccination, according to Centranews.
Source: Centranews
In Madagascar, 26 participants took part in early-warning training on drought and health risks, including 20 observers from Ambovombe, Amboasary Atsimo and Isaka Ivondro. The initiative is part of the Mitsinjo mialoha ny haintany project, run with the National Office for Risk and Disaster Management and the Malagasy Red Cross, Newsmada reports.
Source: Newsmada
Free mental health consultations and awareness-raising activities are taking place over two days at the Mahamasina Palace of Culture and Sports in Antananarivo. Organised for World Mental Health Day, the initiative aims in particular to provide information about anxiety and depression, according to Newsmada.
Source: Newsmada
Dr Konodji Ngakoutou has taken up his duties as chief medical officer of the Koumra health district in Mandoul province, Chad. During the handover, health and administrative authorities called for stronger teamwork and cooperation to improve care for residents, Alwihda Info reports.
Source: Alwihda Info
Inter-Parliamentary Union President Tulia Ackson has called on parliaments to strengthen legislation, budgets and oversight of health policies to reduce preventable deaths among mothers, newborns and children. She was speaking in Arusha on the sidelines of the organisation’s 153rd Assembly, according to Tanzania’s Daily News.
Source: Daily News
A Kenyan patient who died in Nairobi is the first confirmed imported Ebola case in Kenya, after arriving from the Democratic Republic of the Congo via Kampala. Authorities have identified around 50 contacts, while Médecins sans frontières warns of the epidemic’s spread in North Kivu, according to Kenyan health authorities and MSF.
Source: Mali Actu
Malagasy journalist and researcher Mbolatiana Raveloarimisa has published “3,000 Women”, an investigative book on clandestine abortion in Madagascar. The book highlights the health and social consequences of the practice, including the deaths it causes, according to Midi Madagasikara.
Source: Midi Madagasikara
A National Police operation in Namontana on 1 October left one person dead after being shot in the head and several others injured. The deceased’s family and the manager of La Gastro Pizza have filed a complaint at Toby Ratsimandrava, while the accounts given by the police and the complainants differ, according to Madagascar Tribune.
Source: Madagascar Tribune
Chad’s Ministry of Health and the International Committee of the Red Cross have launched a five-day primary emergency care training course in Bol for civilian and military professionals. The session covers trauma, bleeding and evacuation preparations, among other topics, to improve care in Lac Province, according to Tchadinfos.
Source: Tchadinfos
Russian researcher Darya Shipilova, 28, died on 2 October of a suspected pneumonic plague infection after an incident at a research institute in Siberia. Nearly 200 people are under observation and a hospital has been placed under quarantine, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says he is monitoring the risk of spread, according to Punch.
Source: Punch
President Félix Tshisekedi and First Lady Denise Nyakeru Tshisekedi offered their condolences to the families of generals Lucien-René Likulia Bakumi and Joseph Mutombo Katalay, who died in the crash at Kenge, in Kwango, DR Congo. Their visit came during a three-day national mourning period declared after all 17 people in the accident died, reports Alwihda Info.
Source: Alwihda Info
N’Djamena authorities and cooperative representatives have signed an agreement to improve hygiene, safety and organisation at slaughter sites in the Chadian capital. A joint committee will monitor the measures following inspections that identified problems with cleanliness, waste and access to drinking water, Alwihda Info reports.
Source: Alwihda Info
Kossi Christian, a young trader, was abducted and then killed in Bossangoa, in Ouham prefecture, according to Corbeau News Centrafrique. His body, found burned about ten kilometres from the town on the Bossangoa-Bangui road, was reportedly decapitated before being set alight, the outlet reports.
Source: Corbeaunews Centrafrique
In the Salamat region of Chad, farmers are resuming their activities as the waters of the Bahr-Azoum, a seasonal river used for fishing and agriculture, recede. The article examines the risks and benefits of using herbicides to clear fields, according to Tchadinfos.
Source: Tchadinfos
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