East Africa steps up health emergency readiness, response

The East Africa region faces recurrent outbreaks and disasters

Five East African countries have held their first simulation exercise since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic to improve preparedness and bolster response to health emergencies. The East Africa region faces recurrent outbreaks and disasters. In the past three years alone the region faced outbreaks of diseases including cholera, Ebola,…

Vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks on the rise in Africa

Twenty-four countries confirmed outbreaks of a variant of polio in 2021, which is four more than in 2020

Africa is witnessing a surge in outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases over the past year. Almost 17 500 cases of measles were recorded in the African region between January and March 2022, marking a 400% increase compared with the same period in 2021. Twenty African countries reported measles outbreaks in the…

Video News Release: WHO Africa Online Briefing

Coronavirus: Africa witnesses longest-running decline in COVID-19 cases

Over the past week, around 18 000 cases and 239 deaths were recorded, a decline of 29% and 37% respectively compared with the week before

Africa is experiencing its longest-running decline in COVID-19 infections since the onset of the pandemic. Recorded weekly cases have fallen for the past 16 weeks, while deaths have dropped for the last eight. Infections—largely due to the Omicron-driven fourth pandemic wave—have tanked from a peak of over 308 000 cases…

Coronavirus: Botswana, South Africa deepen probe into new Omicron sub-variants

The identified sub-lineages variant are BA.4 and BA.5

Researchers in Botswana and South Africa have detected new sub-lineages of the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 and are carrying out further investigations to fully understand crucial traits such as infectivity and virulence. The identified sub-lineages variant are BA.4 and BA.5. World Health Organization (WHO) experts are working with scientists…

Coronavirus – Africa: European Union funding boosts COVID-19 vaccination in Africa

The funding is part of the European Union’s (EU) humanitarian initiative for COVID-19 vaccination in Africa

The European Commission’s Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) is supporting the work of the World Health Organization (WHO) to boost COVID-19 vaccination campaigns and increase coverage in 15 African countries. With a total of €16 million from ECHO, WHO is supporting operational and technical aspects…

Coronavirus: African countries scale back on COVID-19 measures

Contact tracing is a key strategy for curbing the spread of the virus and reducing mortality

With new COVID-19 cases significantly dropping, many countries are increasingly curtailing COVID-19 surveillance and quarantine measures. While the need to reopen economies and resume social life is important, the World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for caution and consideration of the risks involved.  Contact tracing is a key strategy for…

Coronavirus: Africa’s COVID-19 vaccine uptake increases by 15%

A mass vaccination campaign in Ethiopia, for instance, pushed up the number of doses administered by 136% between 23 January and 6 March 2022

Africa’s COVID-19 vaccine uptake rose by 15% between January and February as several countries embarked on mass vaccination drives to expand coverage and protect populations against the adverse health impacts of the virus. Around 62 million doses were administered across the continent in February up from 54 million in January.…