Health news from Africa summarised in English: epidemics, public health, hospitals, accidents and natural disasters, from the local press. 190 articles published.
Updated around the clock from 400+ African and international news outlets in 54 countries. Every article names its source. Our method
GLA quarry in Uganda’s Mukono district is to begin a compensation process for Kiwugo residents after years of complaints about damaged homes and dangerous pits. The agreement follows the death of 12-year-old Jesca Nalujja, who fell into one of the excavations, reports Nile Post.
Source: Nile Post
Zimbabwean Transport Minister Felix Mhona has set up an inquiry commission after a vessel sank on 11 August on Lake Kariba, killing 97 people. The investigation will look at seaworthiness, the load, the boat’s capacity, its crew and regulatory checks, according to the ministry.
Source: Ang
Guinea-Bissau’s interministerial commission closed four units producing and packaging water in plastic sachets in the sectors of Mansôa and Bissorã, in the north of the country. The operation aimed to enforce a 2013 law banning certain plastic products; inspections found serious health and safety shortcomings, according to the commission.
Source: Ang
Rain has cut off access roads to Ribeira Fria, Chã de Norte and Ribeira dos Bodes, isolating several rural communities in Porto Novo, on the Cape Verdean island of Santo Antão. Adilson Gomes, a representative of Ribeira Fria residents, reported the situation to the Inforpress news agency.
Source: Anacao
Regional councillor Eben-Ezer Kauapirura has proposed an urgent meeting and an action plan to prevent the spread of foot-and-mouth disease in Namibia’s Omaheke region. The area supplies about 20% of national beef production, reports New Era, while the reported outbreak remains limited to the //Kharas region.
Source: New Era
A study by Emi K. Nishimura and Yasuaki Mohri links hair greying and melanoma to divergent responses by damaged stem cells. According to researchers at the University of Tokyo, some cells become depleted to prevent their transformation, while others can multiply and promote skin cancer, according to Nature Cell Biology.
Source: Weekendpost
Restituto Nvo, a 20-year-old man, disappeared in the Kie River while swimming near Ebibeyin, Equatorial Guinea. Civil Protection services launched a search after being alerted by his neighbour, reports Realequatorialguinea.
Source: Realequatorialguinea
Surgeon Thiburce Anselme Yafondo, from Bangui Community University Hospital, explains non-surgical treatment for limb fractures and its risks. He recommends, among other things, not walking on a cast for 45 days, according to Radio Ndeke Luka.
Source: Radiondekeluka
Yei River County in South Sudan has recorded 748 epilepsy cases and 448 mental health disorders since January 2026, with 723 and 408 patients respectively still receiving treatment. Local health director Simon Sebit links the rise in part to depression and calls for treatment and awareness to be strengthened, Radio Tamazuj reports.
Source: Radio Tamazuj
Malawi’s Parliamentary Committee on Health is investigating the theft of medicines and the circulation of falsified or substandard products. Pharmaceutical companies and the tax authority are due to give evidence until 16 October 2026 to assess the risks to patients, Malawi24 reports.
Source: Malawi24
Ghana’s National Health Insurance Authority is calling for a revision of the 2012 law to include free primary healthcare and population-based payments. Its deputy director Kwesi Djokoto also proposes strengthening the fight against fraud through digital tools and penalising illegal payments, according to MyJoyOnline.
Source: MyJoyOnline
Zambia has been removed from the World Health Organization’s red list on international recruitment of health professionals after a revision of the criteria. The country has recruited more than 18,000 workers since 2021 and concluded a health financing agreement with the United States, Mwebantu reports.
Source: Mwebantu
Residents of Kibaha, Tanzania, complain of wastewater, dust, smoke and chemical residues attributed to some factories, as well as children’s illnesses, livestock deaths and damage to crops. The National Environment Management Council has identified shortcomings in environmental management, JamhuriMedia reports.
Source: Jamhurimedia
Three people have died in Andranolalina, in the Midongy Atsimo district, in circumstances probably linked to pneumonic plague. Other suspected cases are being monitored in Midongy Atsimo and Iakora, according to Malagasy health authorities cited by L’Express.
Source: Lexpress
Two women have been arrested in Eswatini after free child health cards were found being resold for 50 lilangeni on the black market and social media. One is reportedly employed at a printing works that produces public documents and has been suspended, the Times of Eswatini reports.
Source: Times of Eswatini
M’Mah Kaba, a widow in her forties living in Khabitayah, in the commune of Matoto, is seeking six million Guinean francs to continue her treatment. Suffering from swelling in her stomach and feet for more than three months, she has already used up her savings, reports Mosaiqueguinee.
Source: Mosaiqueguinee
The UN humanitarian coordinator in the Democratic Republic of Congo is warning of the continuing needs of millions of people affected by violence, displacement and hardship during the Ebola outbreak. In Oicha, North Kivu, displaced people are mainly asking for security and the possibility of returning home, reports Mediacongo.
Source: Mediacongo
The National Mental Health Programme and the National Programme to Combat Gender-Based Violence are considering nine regional units to provide psychological and psychiatric support to survivors. The project provides for continuity of care, notably through line 143 and the TILA platform, according to a note sent to AIP.
Source: Aip
Looking for older stories? The archive, day by day →