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

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…

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

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…

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

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…

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

Mothers Adopt Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention Drugs to Keep Malaria at Bay in Adamawa State

SMC is administered monthly for four months during the highest malaria transmission periods, using Sulfadoxine-Pyrimethamine (SP) and Amodiaquine (AQ) (SPAQ) to children aged 3 – 59 months to reduce the cases of malaria outbreaks

Sitting on a wooden stool in front of her house at Dobeli community in Yola North Local Government Area (LGA), Hajara Yusuf, a (27 years old mother of three) was coaxing her sons to take the seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) drugs. “I usually look forward to when they administer the…

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

Lessons from World Health Organization Gender-Based Violence (GBV) clinical handbook

The handbook was initially meant for medical doctors, however, nurses and social workers have also found the handbook beneficial to their work

Gender-Based Violence (GBV) is a sensitive topic that requires professionals working with victims and survivors to be empathetic.  The World Health Organization (WHO)‘Clinical Handbook on the Health Care of Survivors Subjected to Intimate Partner Violence and/or Sexual Violence, Namibia’ has helped doctors, social workers and nurses like Mark Bezuidenhout, an…

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

Neglected Tropical Disease Mentorship Launched in Honour of Dr Mwele Malecela

The mentorship programme will provide African women with leadership training skills as well as travel and networking opportunities to become leaders and champions

World Health Organization (WHO) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today announced plans to set up a mentorship programme for African women working in neglected tropical diseases programmes. The mentorship is in honour of the late Dr Mwele Malecela, who was one of Africa’s most highly respected female scientists…

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

More African countries fight unethical marketing of breast-milk substitutes

Over the past two years, six African countries have adopted or reinforced measures against inappropriate marketing of breast-milk substitutes

A growing number of African countries are fighting back against the unethical marketing of breast-milk substitutes by tightening laws to protect the health of mothers and children from misleading marketing practices, the 2022 report on the International Code of Marketing of Breast-Milk Substitutes finds. Over the past two years, six…

WHO Regional Office for Africa

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Source: WHO Regional Office for Africa |

Strategizing to accelerate the reduction of maternal mortality in the African Region

One of the main roles of WHO/AFRO is to produce, disseminate and monitor the implementation of global guidelines and standards that are adapted to the regional context

The African Region accounted for 66% of the 303,000 maternal deaths recorded globally in 2017.  To address this situation, WHO in collaboration with UNFPA, UNICEF and partners supports Member States to ensure that all women and girls have access to quality and timely health services, particularly during pregnancy, childbirth, and…

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

COVID-19 takes a heavy toll on women’s health

Data show that facility-based births reduced in 45% of countries between November and December 2021 compared with the pre-pandemic period

Disruptions to essential health services due to the COVID-19 pandemic are being felt broadly. As the world marks International Women’s Day, a new World Health Organization (WHO) analysis finds that women’s health services are far from being fully restored, with 40% of African countries reporting disruptions to sexual, reproductive, maternal,…

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

Botswana is first country with severe HIV epidemic to reach key milestone in the elimination of mother-to-child HIV transmission

Botswana has achieved the “silver tier” status, which moves it closer to eliminating mother-to-child HIV transmission

Botswana has become the first high-burden country to be certified for achieving an important milestone on the path to eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV by the World Health Organization (WHO). High-burden HIV countries are defined as those with more than 2% of pregnant women living with the virus. Botswana has…