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WHO Regional Office for Africa
Source: WHO Regional Office for Africa |

Health ministers launch landmark polio vaccination campaign to protect 83 million children in Lake Chad Basin

Over 50% of the polio cases reported in Chad in 2024 are linked to the strain circulating in Cameroon, underlining the importance of coordination and synchronization of polio response efforts

In a renewed effort to eradicate circulating polio variant type 2 in the Lake Chad Basin, Ministers of Health from Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Niger and Nigeria launched today a synchronized regional vaccination campaign aimed at protecting 83 million under 5 children. The initiative is a crucial milestone…

WHO Regional Office for Africa
Source: WHO Regional Office for Africa |

African region records further decline in Tuberculosis (TB) deaths, cases

Deaths from TB fell by 42% between 2015 and 2023 while cases declined by 24% over the same period, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) Global TB Report 2024

The African region has recorded the steepest decline globally in tuberculosis (TB) deaths since 2015, despite falling short of key milestones to significantly lower the burden of the disease and end its toll on health and lives. Deaths from TB fell by 42% between 2015 and 2023 while cases declined…

WHO Regional Office for Africa
Source: WHO Regional Office for Africa |

World Health Organization (WHO) Provides Urgent Medical Support to Ghana to Combat Meningitis Outbreak

The ongoing collaboration between WHO, Ghanaian health authorities, and local communities highlights a unified commitment to addressing the meningitis outbreak

Ghana is experiencing a worsening bacterial  meningitis outbreak in the Upper West Region, straining the country's healthcare system as cases continue to climb. With limited resources and rising fatalities, health authorities are racing against time to contain the disease and provide critical treatment to those affected. In response to the…

WHO Regional Office for Africa
Source: WHO Regional Office for Africa |

Community engagement in the fight against cholera in Angola: Mr Celestino Mbambali – “The Lifesaver”

The WHO has played a key role in responding to the cholera outbreak in Angola, collaborating closely with the Ministry of Health (MINSA), Ministry of Water and Energy and the Provincial Health Office to contain the spread of the disease

For more than twenty-five years of volunteering in his community, 55-year-old Celestino Mbambali has witnessed countless health emergencies, including cholera outbreaks. A qualified nurse by profession, he was always concerned about the lack of a health center in his neighborhood and, driven by his commitment to his neighbors, decided to take…

WHO Regional Office for Africa
Source: WHO Regional Office for Africa |

Protecting the Central African Republic’s remote communities from polio

The vaccination team navigated difficult terrain, poor road conditions and the risk of armed groups presence in the area

In the ongoing efforts to eradicate polio, the Central African Republic has placed a special emphasis on reaching vulnerable and underserved populations. Populations in mining regions like Zoubala, a locality in the Bossombélé district about two hours from Bangui, the capital, face unique challenges and heightened risks of poliovirus transmission. In…

WHO Regional Office for Africa

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Source: WHO Regional Office for Africa |

Angola vaccinates over 1 million people as it bolsters cholera outbreak control efforts

More than 1 million people have been vaccinated in the three hardest-hit provinces in a five-day campaign to complement the ongoing public health measures to halt the spread of the infectious disease

Antonio Morais, from Paraíso neighborhood in Cacuaco, one of Luanda’s nine municipalities, has witnessed friends and neighbours succumb to cholera. So, when Morais heard about an oral cholera vaccination campaign as part of Angola’s efforts to step up outbreak control, he was first in line to receive a vaccine. “I…

WHO Regional Office for Africa
Source: WHO Regional Office for Africa |

Cholera vaccination campaign commences in Rubkona as part of efforts to address and control the ongoing outbreak

H.E. Hussein Abdelbagi Akol underscored government efforts in delivering healthcare, clean water provision, and hygiene promotion in all the affected locations to curb the outbreak

A campaign aimed at vaccinating over 300 000 people against cholera has commenced in the hotspot county of Rubkona, Unity State in a vital step to curb the ongoing outbreak, bringing the total number of counties where the vaccination campaign has been conducted nationwide to four. Rubkona County is one…

WHO Regional Office for Africa
Source: WHO Regional Office for Africa |

Enhanced control measures helping to control mpox outbreak in Africa

To strengthen the response, WHO is working closely with the Ghana Health Service to increase public awareness even further

More than 13 000 laboratory-confirmed mpox cases have been reported in the African region since the start of 2024, as of 17 November. Three countries – Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda - account for approximately 97% of all reported cases so far this year. From reinforcing outbreak…

WHO Regional Office for Africa
Source: WHO Regional Office for Africa |

World Health Organization (WHO) in Africa, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) bolster partnership for enhanced public health emergency response

The two organizations are leveraging their vast networks and presence on the continent to support governments in scaling up response at the community level

World Health Organization (WHO) in the African Region and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) have endorsed a regional collaboration framework to strengthen public health emergency response, especially at the community level, and bolster health security. With the WHO in the African Region’s presence in…

WHO Regional Office for Africa
Source: WHO Regional Office for Africa |

African health ministers, partners urge equitable access to critical tools to curb cervical cancer threat

Of the more than 76 000 cervical cancer deaths globally in 2022, the most updated data available, nearly a quarter (23%) were in Africa

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 accounts for the highest rates of new cases and deaths due to the disease. Despite being preventable and treatable through human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination and…