Kenya: Kenya and Uganda's Collaborative Polio Vaccination - a Cross-Border Triumph, 6,5 Million Children Protected

Between October 3 and 6, 2024, more than 6.5 million children were vaccinated in a successful synchronized polio campaign between Kenya and Uganda. This cross-border achievement… Read more »

Africa: Enhancing Polio Detection With Advanced Sequencing Technology

The African region, declared free of indigenous wild poliovirus in August 2020, faces an urgent threat: the intense transmission of type 2 variant poliovirus (cVDPV2). This year… Read more »

Africa: WHO Strengthens Countries Capacities to Combat Diet Related Noncommunicable Diseases in Africa

The World Health Organization's Regional Office for Africa (WHO AFRO) has conducted a five-day capacity-building workshop in Uganda from 14-18 October 2024 to empower 40… Read more »

Africa: Empowering Girls Means Upholding Their Rights to Sexual and Reproductive Health

Joint Statement on International Day of the Girl (11 October), by Regional Directors: UNAIDS, Anne Githuku-Shongwe; UNFPA, Lydia Zigomo; UNICEF, Etleva Kadilli and WHO, Dr.… Read more »

Africa: Promising Progress On Eye Health in African Region, but Challenges Remain

Despite important progress towards integrating eye health into primary health care services in African countries, a dire shortage of financial resources, combined with the… Read more »

Africa: Addressing the Complex Hurdles to Optimal Mental Health in Africa's Workplaces

Access to mental health services in the African region is still inadequate despite recent progress. While countries have made advancements including increasing the number of mental… Read more »

Africa: Urgent Action Needed to Accelerate Mental Health Progress in African Region

The African region has made progress over the past decade to strengthen mental health systems, including investments to improve care, health workforce as well as national policies… Read more »

Africa: Strengthening Zimbabwe's Expanded Programme On Immunization - Addressing Data Quality Challenges

In public and global health, accurate data is a cornerstone for effective decision-making and disease control. Recognizing the critical importance of high-quality surveillance… Read more »

Africa: Burden of Hearing Loss in Africa Could Rise to 54 Million By 2030 - WHO Report

About 40 million people live with hearing loss in the African region, but the figure could rise to 54 million by 2030 if urgent measures are not take to address the problem,… Read more »

Africa: Health Labour Market Analysis Support Tool Launched

The World Health Organization, Regional Office for Africa launched the Health Labour Market Analysis (HLMA) Support Tool to assist countries assess their health workforce education… Read more »

Africa: Experts Commit to Step Up Immunization Programme in Central Africa

At their 2024 meeting in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo from 9 to 12 September, Essential Programme on Immunization (EPI) managers from Central African countries committed… Read more »

Central Africa: Devastating West and Central Africa Floods Affect Over 4 Million People, Raise Health Risks

Widespread flooding in West and Central Africa has affected more than 4 million people, caused extensive damage to homes, schools, health facilities and swaths of farmland,… Read more »

Africa: Sahel, Lake Chad Basin Countries Coordinate Joint Polio Eradication Plan

In a significant move to combat the ongoing challenge of variant poliovirus transmission in Central and West Africa, Ministers of Health from the Lake Chad Basin countries and… Read more »

Africa: African Health Ministers, Partners Urge Equitable Access to Critical Tools to Curb Cervical Cancer Threat

Inequitable access to vaccines and high-performance screening tools is hampering efforts to effectively reduce the growing burden of cervical cancer in the African region, which… Read more »

Africa: Tanzania's Dr Faustine Engelbert Ndugulile Tapped for WHO Africa Leadership

Dr Faustine Engelbert Ndugulile has been nominated as the next Regional Director for the World Health Organization (WHO) African Region, taking the reins from Dr Matshidiso Moeti,… Read more »

Africa: African Health Ministers Kick Off Region's Top Health Forum

African health ministers and government representatives gathering in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, today kicked off the Seventy-fourth session of the World Health Organization… Read more »

Africa: Public Health Advice on Protecting Yourself and Others from Mpox

You can catch mpox through close contact with someone who has symptoms. Close contact includes skin-to-skin (e.g., touching, anal or vaginal sex); face-to-face (e.g.; talking,… Read more »

Africa: Scaling Up Response to Curb Growing Mpox Outbreak in African Region

As the mpox outbreak that has affected the Democratic Republic of the Congo and spread to neighbouring countries continues to grow, World Health Organization (WHO) is intensifying… Read more »

Tanzania: WHO Donates 65 Beds and Wash Supplies to Strengthen Tanzania's Ongoing Cholera Outbreak Response

The World Health Organization (WHO) has handed over 65 beds together with Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) supplies to the Government of Tanzania to strengthen the country's… Read more »

Africa: African Region Faces an Unprecedent Surge in Mpox Cases

The African region is experiencing an unprecedented increase in mpox cases since the start of 2024, with more countries previously unaffected by the disease reporting cases in an… Read more »

Africa: Urgent Call for Mpox Funding

The World Health Organization's chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, announced that the UN health agency, along with the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, local… Read more »

Africa: Forging Resilience - WHO Afro Establishes Independent Expert Body to Bolster Africa's Health Security

In a major step towards strengthening health security in the African Region, the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa (AFRO) has established an Emergency… Read more »

Africa: Road Traffic Deaths Rise in the African Region, but Down Globally, WHO Report

Road traffic death rates in the past decade have increased significantly in the African region, with almost 250 000 lives lost on the continent's roads in 2021 alone. Conversely,… Read more »

Africa: Sierra Leone's Dedicated Polio Vaccinators Hit Roads to Reach Millions of Children

Using door-to-door vaccination and fixed vaccination centers in health facilities, the World Health Organization supported over 4000 vaccinators and healthcare workers in May to… Read more »

Africa: WHO Africa Releases Groundbreaking Guidance to Boost Fight Against Sickle Cell Disease

World Health Organization (WHO) in the African Region today released groundbreaking new guidance to help strengthen efforts to address the growing threat of sickle cell disease in… Read more »