Eswatini: Act now for safe and respectful childbirth! World patient safety day 2021

In line with the theme for 2021, the commemorations focused on “Safe maternal and newborn care”

The Kingdom of Eswatini joined the rest of the world in commemorating World Patient Safety Day 2021. The country has been commemorating this day every year since its inception in 2019. The country embraces the principle that in delivering patient care, the first step is “do no harm”. In line…

Gambia: WHO and Ministry of Health discuss Programme Budget 2022-23

Deputizing for the Honourable Minister of Health, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry thanked WHO for the invaluable support it is rendering to the health sector

Following internal discussions and preparations, the WHO Country Office and the Ministry of Health held a fruitful meeting this morning to discuss and plan for the Pogramme Budget 2022-23.  The meeting was held at Ocean Bay Hotel and was attended by senior management and programme officers from both institutions. Deputizing…

Africa needs seven-fold rise in COVID-19 vaccine shipments

While Africa’s third wave continues to ease, 108 000 new cases were recorded, and more than 3000 lives lost in the week to 19 September

COVID-19 vaccine shipments to Africa must rise by over seven times from around 20 million per month to 150 million each month on average if the continent is to fully vaccinate 70% of its people by September 2022. The 70% target was agreed at the global COVID-19 summit hosted by…

Video News Release: WHO Africa Online Briefing

Uganda Launches the Third Edition of the National Guidelines for Integrated Diseases Surveillance and Response

The launch also looked at strengthening the commitment of stakeholders to IDSR and enhance ownership of the strategy for prevention and control of diseases and events

Uganda launched the Third Edition of the National Guidelines for Integrated Diseases Surveillance and Response (IDSR) at Golden Tulip Hotel in Kampala. The third edition highlights new methods of disease detection, reporting, and provision of real-time surveillance data using new technologies and platforms. The platforms include event-based disease surveillance, community-based…

Guinea declares end of Marburg virus disease outbreak

WHO continues to support Guinea in its efforts to remain vigilant, maintain surveillance and build capacity to respond quickly to a possible resurgence of the virus

Guinea today declared the end of the Marburg virus disease outbreak having recorded no new cases over the past 42 days—two incubation periods, or the time between infection and the onset of symptoms. The virus was confirmed on 9 August, marking the first time the disease emerged in the country…

Coronavirus: Africa faces 470 million COVID-19 vaccine shortfall in 2021

About 95 million more doses are set to arrive in Africa via COVAX throughout September

As the COVAX Facility is forced to slash planned COVID-19 vaccine deliveries to Africa by around 150 million this year, the continent faces almost 500 million doses short of the global year-end target of fully vaccinating 40% of its population. This shortfall comes as Africa tops 8 million COVID-19 cases…

Video News Release: WHO Africa Online Briefing

New study challenges understanding of pandemic preparedness and resilience in Africa

Our results show that we should not equate high levels of preparedness and resilience with low vulnerability

Countries in Africa assessed as being least vulnerable to an epidemic were the worst affected by COVID-19, new research suggests. Nations with more urban populations and strong international travel links were worst affected by the pandemic, the study shows. Mortality rates and levels of restrictions – such as lockdowns and…

Liberia Concludes Three-Day Training to Strengthen Event Based Surveillance through Epidemic Intelligence from Open Sources (EIOS)

EIOS is an important aspect of Event Based Surveillance as emphasized in the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) strategy

To better detect acute public health events with pandemic potential and to monitor disease control measures on a real time basis, the National Institute of Public Health in Liberia (NPHIL) and the Ministry of Health (MOH) with support from World Health Organization (WHO) conducted a three-day workshop on Epidemic Intelligence…