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,…

World Health Organization releases more than US$ 8 million for the Sahel's humanitarian response

The funds will help deliver crucial health services to populations living in displacement camps and sites as well as those affected by disease outbreaks across six countries in the region

World Health Organization (WHO) has released US$ 8.3 million from its Contingency Funding for Emergencies to assist the 10.6 million people in need of emergency health services in the Sahel region. Humanitarian agencies and governments estimate that 33.2 million people are grappling with the devastating impacts of armed conflict, insecurity,…

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

Democratic Republic of the Congo Kicks Off Ebola Vaccination

Around 200 doses of the rVSV-ZEBOV Ebola vaccine have been shipped to Mbandaka from the eastern city of Goma

The Democratic Republic of the Congo today kicked off Ebola vaccination in Mbandaka, the capital city of Equateur Province in the north-west, to halt the spread of the virus following an outbreak which has claimed two lives since 21 April. Around 200 doses of the rVSV-ZEBOV Ebola vaccine have been…

Democratic Republic of Congo declares new Ebola outbreak in north-western province

The current outbreak is the sixth since 2018 alone – the most frequent occurrence in the country’s Ebola history

The health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo today declared an outbreak of Ebola after a case was confirmed in Mbandaka, a city in the north-western Equateur Province. This is the third outbreak in the province since 2018. So far, just one case has been confirmed. The patient,…

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…