African health ministers commit to strengthen emergency preparedness and response

In 2025, WHO and partners have responded to more than 21 public health emergencies across the continent, ranging from mpox, cholera, measles, and dengue outbreaks to complex humanitarian crises driven by conflict and displacement

Across the African continent, fragile health systems are often the first to falter when crisis strikes, with profound impacts on lives and, livelihoods and health, and often times causing long-term socio-economic disruptions. Renewing efforts to protect communities from the growing threat of health emergencies, health ministers meeting for the Seventy-fifth…

African health ministers endorse framework to accelerate progress on oral health

The framework emphasizes that oral health must be recognized as a fundamental component of universal health coverage

African ministers of health gathering for the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee for Africa today adopted a pivotal framework to accelerate efforts to address oral health diseases that affect around 42% of the region’s population. The regional oral health framework, endorsed at the Seventy-fifth session of the WHO Regional…

Africa: Ministerial Malaria Champions Step Up Malaria Fight with New Commitments and Accountability Scorecard

Committed to tackling malaria’s “perfect storm”, leaders pledged to act together-rallying political will, accountability, and sustainable financing to protect hard-won gains and reignite Africa’s momentum toward malaria elimination

Ministers of Health, partners, and global health leaders convening on the sidelines of the Seventy Fifth WHO Regional Committee for Africa (RC75) have issued an urgent call to accelerate Africa’s malaria response amid a “perfect storm” of challenges threatening to erode hard-won gains. Despite major progress, including a 16% reduction…

African ministers kick off regional forum on health

The ministers from the 47 countries of the WHO African Region, meeting from 25 to 27 August 2025, will deliberate on measures to address challenges as well as endorse key resolutions to improve and promote people’s health

African ministers of health gathering in the Zambian capital Lusaka today opened the Seventy-fifth session of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee for Africa, the highest decision-making body on health on the continent. The ministers from the 47 countries of the WHO African Region, meeting from 25 to 27…

World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ministry of Health Train 29 Regional Emergency Responders in the Prevention and Management of viral hemorrhagic fevers

Funded by WHO, participants are from Uganda, Zambia, South Sudan, Rwanda, and Tanzania

The World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with the Uganda’s Ministry of Health, has commenced a five-day training for 29 emergency responders from five African countries. The training scheduled for 15th to 19th August 2022 at the Commonwealth Resort Hotel Munyonyo is intended to build regional capacity to respond to…

Low funding, COVID-19 curtail tuberculosis fight in Africa

Every year the African region requires at least US$ 1.3 billion for TB prevention and treatment

Inadequate investment and funding for tuberculosis (TB) control in Africa is jeopardizing the efforts to meet the global target of ending the disease by 2030, while the COVID-19 pandemic threatens to roll back progress made so far in the continent, an assessment by World Health Organization (WHO) finds. Every year…

Germany Donates 924 000 Surgical Face Masks to WHO for the Support to Ministry of Health COVID-19 Response Work in Zambia

The kind support from the Government of Germany comes at a time when Zambia is anticipating the fourth wave of COVID-19 infections

On 10 November 2021, H.E. Anne Wagner-Mitchell, the German Ambassador to Zambia and Dr Nathan Bakyaita, WHO Representative to Zambia came together with Hon Sylvia Masebo, Minister of Health at the Ministry of Health for a handover ceremony of 924 000 surgical face masks. Over the past months, the Ministry…

Coronavirus - Africa: Nine in 10 African countries set to miss urgent COVID-19 vaccination goal

At 32 million doses, Africa accounts for under 1% of the over 2.1 billion doses administered globally

As COVID-19 cases in Africa rise for the third week running and vaccines are increasingly scarce, 47 of Africa’s 54 countries—nearly 90%—are set to miss the September target of vaccinating 10% of their people unless Africa receives 225 million more doses. The new global targets were announced recently at the…

Coronavirus - African countries face high risk of COVID-19 resurgence

Three countries face very high risk of COVID-19 resurgence, 20 face high, 22 moderate risk, and only one country faces low risk, according to the risk assessment of 46 countries

The risk of COVID-19 resurgence remains high in several African countries due to poor adherence to public health measures, mass gatherings, low testing and vaccination rates, an analysis by the World Health Organization (WHO) has shown. Three countries face very high risk of COVID-19 resurgence, 20 face high, 22 moderate…

Coronavirus - Africa: Decrease in COVID-19 deaths in the African Region

The number of COVID-19 cases in the WHO African Region is now at 1,262,476, with 28,601 deaths. The number of new deaths decreased by 37%, with South Africa reporting 46% of total. For more detailed analysis, read our most recent COVID-19 Situation Report. 10 countries account for 86% (1,080,986) of…