WHO Regional Office for Africa / Press Release

Source: WHO Regional Office for Africa | Jul 10, 2025

Zimbabwe undertakes second Joint External Evaluation to strengthen National Health Security

The JEE is a voluntary, collaborative process used globally to assess a country's readiness to manage infectious disease outbreaks and other health emergencies

From 29 June to 4 July 2025, Zimbabwe conducted its second Joint External Evaluation (JEE) to assess the country’s capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to public health threats under the International Health Regulations (2005). The JEE, coordinated by the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) with support from…

Source: WHO Regional Office for Africa | May 05, 2025

Midwives in South Sudan provide a lifeline in times of calm and crisis

This is especially important as the country reports one of the highest maternal mortality rates globally, with 692 maternal deaths for every 100 000 live births

Midwives play a critical role in South Sudan, facilitating antenatal care, skilled birth attendance, and postnatal care for mothers and newborns to prevent death and promote a healthy future for both mothers and children. This is especially important as the country reports one of the highest maternal mortality rates globally,…

Source: WHO Regional Office for Africa | Apr 08, 2025

African region’s maternal and newborn mortality declining, but progress still slow

Despite a 40% decline in maternal mortality, from 727 to 442 deaths per 100 000 live births between 2000 and 2023, the region still accounts for 70% of global maternal deaths

The African region has made progress in lowering maternal mortality since 2000 but needs a 12-fold increase in the annual reduction rate to reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SGD) target of fewer than 70 deaths per 100 000 live births by 2030, new estimates by the United Nations Maternal Mortality Estimation…

Source: WHO Regional Office for Africa | Feb 04, 2025

Urgent action needed to reinforce breast cancer control measures in Africa: World Health Organization (WHO) report

The WHO report underscores the urgent need for investment in leadership, governance and financing as fundamental steps

An estimated 135 000 women could lose their lives to breast cancer by 2040 in sub-Saharan Africa if urgent actions are not taken to reverse the trends, a new World Health Organization (WHO) report finds. The WHO study assessed breast cancer control capacities in 42 of the 47 countries within…

Source: WHO Regional Office for Africa | Nov 27, 2024

New step in African region’s efforts to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), syphilis and hepatitis B

Over 21.3 million people are now on life-saving antiretroviral treatment, and in Eastern and Southern Africa, 90% of pregnant women receive antiretroviral therapy to protect their babies from HIV

The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa has launched a Regional Validation Committee for the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B virus, marking a pivotal moment in ensuring a healthier future for every mother and child across Africa. The Regional Validation Committee has a…

Source: WHO Regional Office for Africa | Aug 29, 2024

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…

Source: WHO Regional Office for Africa | Oct 13, 2023

"Closing the care gap - the role of families" in Breast Cancer battle

The PS outlined that families can foster an inclusive natural environment where individuals feel safe to express their needs

The Ministry of Health, Cancer Unit has recorded 577 cases of cancer between January 2023 and June 2023, 33 of which are cancers of the breast. While many cancer patients in middle-income countries succumb to the disease, 50-year-old Fikile Hlatjwayo is lucky to have survived the deadly disease. Hlatjwayo was…

Source: WHO Regional Office for Africa | Sep 01, 2023

Off-track cervical cancer progress risks 70,000 deaths every year in Africa

Currently, 26 countries in the African region have introduced the human papilloma virus vaccine and only 31% of girls by the age of 15 received the first of the vaccine in the region in 2022

About 70 000 cervical cancer deaths could be averted annually in the African region if the efforts to end the disease by 2030 are urgently stepped up to ensure increased access to critical services for timely detection, care and prevention. Health leaders and donors meeting for the Seventy-third session of…

Source: WHO Regional Office for Africa | Mar 08, 2023

World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Volunteers (UNV) Programme Launch Second Phase of Africa Women Health Champions Initiative

The African Women Health Champions initiative has been a resounding success, with 120 women health champions deployed in 38 countries, representing 36 nationalities, and from more than 25 professional fields

The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa and the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) Programme today launched the second phase of the Africa Women Health Champions (AWHC) initiative to recruit young African women professionals to help drive the region’s health agenda and objectives. Following the successful implementation of the…

Source: WHO Regional Office for Africa | Dec 01, 2022

Africa’s Advances in Maternal, Infant Mortality Face Setbacks: World Health Organisation (WHO) Report

In sub-Saharan Africa, it is estimated that 390 women will die in childbirth for every 100 000 live births by 2030, the Atlas 2022 reports

A slowdown in the progress made during the past decade against maternal and infant mortality is projected in the African region, a new World Health Organization (WHO) report released today finds. The Atlas of African Health Statistics 2022 assessed the nine targets related to the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) on…

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