The Groote Schuur Hospital in South Africa made history this year, when it became the first hospital in Africa to implant the world’s smallest pacemaker.
The device was implanted as part of a global pivotal clinical trial, offering a lifeline for many patients with cardiac problems.
In Uganda, child deaths had fallen faster in Kampala than in any other African city, despite a large influx of refugees from neighboring states facing conflict.
“We are happy because they welcome everyone without discrimination. They treat everyone equally. If you don’t have money to buy medicine, they take care of you. There is no problem here. That is why we are happy to come here,” Esther Kabumo, Refugee
In October, Nigerians made a Guinness World record attempt to break a Guinness world record as part of cancer campaigns by forming the largest human pink ribbon in the world.
“I came for this event because I lost my aunt to cancer and my mom is also a proud survivor of cancer. Cancer is a monster I feel that we need really need to fight in Nigeria and I was actually proud to be a part of this formation,” Tarere Obaigbo, Breast Cancer Campaign participant
Malaria cases dropped below half a million in the past year, reflecting vast progress against the mosquito-borne disease in some of the previously hardest-hit areas of sub-Saharan Africa.
“There has been a 37 percent decrease in malaria cases over the last 15 years, and that mortality has fallen by 60 percent among all age groups. And this has resulted in an estimate of 6.2 million lives saved over the last 15 years,” Doctor Pedro Alonso, director, WHO Global Malaria Programme.
In West Africa, for the first time since the start of the Ebola outbreak, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone conducted major nationwide immunization campaigns to protect millions of children against preventable but potentially deadly diseases. Gains have been made, but Ebola remains a health concern on the continent as scientists and health workers continue to battle the virus that has killed over 11,000 people.
