African leaders call for urgent action to revitalize routine immunization

Across the continent, immunization coverage for many vaccine-preventable diseases is well below the 90‒95% range needed to keep Africa free of these diseases

African heads of state today agreed on key measures to revamp routine immunization across the continent following massive disruptions by the COVID-19 pandemic that stymied childhood vaccination programmes and heightened outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases. A total of 8.4 million children in the African region, compared with 18 million globally, were…

COVID-19 burden lessens in Africa, vigilance crucial as year-end season begins

The continent recorded the four-week long rise until 20 November, but the number of new cases dropped slightly over the past two weeks ending on 2 December, breaking the upward trend

While Africa is witnessing its lowest level of new COVID-19 cases since the onset of the pandemic, a recent four-week rise—the first such sustained increase in four months—underscores the criticality of maintaining vigilance as the end-year holiday seasons sets in. The continent recorded the four-week long rise until 20 November,…

Bolstering Africa’s health emergency readiness and response

The latest simulation took place against the backdrop of an ongoing Ebola outbreak in Uganda

The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa in partnership with Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, West African Health Organization, United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UK Health Security Agency, Robert Koch Institute and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation today kicked off the region’s…

COVID-19 Vaccination Roll-Out Stagnates in Africa

The WHO analysis shows that the percentage of people with complete primary vaccination series has barely budged in 27 out of 54 African countries in the past two months

COVID-19 vaccination coverage has stagnated in half of African countries, while the number of doses administered monthly declined by over 50% between July and September, a World Health Organization (WHO) analysis finds. Although Africa is far from reaching the year-end global target of protecting 70% of the population, modest progress…

Alleviating Public Health Threats through Meaningful Partnerships in Rwanda

The Government of Japan in collaboration with WHO provided critical assistance to Rwanda's COVID-19 National Joint Task Force

It has been over two years since the World Health Organization (WHO) sounded the alarm on COVID-19. In March 2020, the virus Rwanda had apprehensively watched from afar had emerged on its doorstep. Few could have imagined how life would change. The handshakes once used with impunity became a deadly…

COVID-19 Threatens Elimination of Deadly Form of Meningitis in Africa, more than 50 Million Children Miss Vaccination

The pandemic severely disrupted meningitis prevention and control services, with disease surveillance, laboratory confirmation of cases and outbreak investigations all steeply declining

With the COVID-19 pandemic delaying meningitis vaccination campaigns for more than 50 million children in Africa, the region is at a heightened risk of outbreaks of meningitis type A, which has nearly been eliminated on the continent. In a race against time, World Health Organization (WHO) and partners have launched…

Video News Release: WHO Africa Online Briefing

Transforming Africa’s health system in wake of COVID-19 pandemic

The region responds to more than 100 health emergencies every year

As Africa strives to recover from the deepfelt impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, health authorities and experts gathering this week for the Seventy-second session of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee for Africa launched a new drive to find ways of revamping the region’s health systems. At a special…

Africa’s top health forum opens to tackle major challenges

Ministers of health and delegates at the Regional Committee will discuss and endorse key strategies and launch campaigns on disease prevention

The President of the Republic of Togo, H.E President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé opened the Seventy-second session of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee for Africa with African health ministers and government representatives in attendance. The region’s foremost public health gathering held annually will discuss and agree on measures to…

With Dwindling Numbers, Stakeholders Expand Integrated Tuberculosis (TB) and COVID-19 Testing in Communities

Worried about the low turnout of testing against the two deadly diseases, the Kaduna State Government collaborated with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners to initiate, plan and conduct a two weeks integrated mass TB and COVID-19 screening campaign

When health workers took the Tuberculosis (TB) testing outreach to Rigasa community, Kaduna State, Rabi Umaru, a 37-year-old housewife, did not need much convincing to get tested. She had been coughing for two weeks but had not visited any health facility because of lack of funds.  “I usually hear on…