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World Health Organization (WHO)
Source: World Health Organization (WHO) |

WHO advice for international traffic in relation to the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant (B.1.1.529)

WHO commends South Africa and Botswana for the speed and transparency with which they notified and shared information on Omicron

WHO has issued advice to countries on travel, given the circulation of Omicron variant. WHO commends South Africa and Botswana for the speed and transparency with which they notified and shared information on Omicron, allowing other countries to rapidly adjust their response.      While scientific research is underway to…

World Health Organization (WHO)
Source: World Health Organization (WHO) |

WHO Director-General's opening remarks at the Member State Information Session on the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2

“I thank Botswana and South Africa for detecting, sequencing and reporting this variant so rapidly” - WHO Director-General

Honourable Ministers, Excellencies, dear colleagues and friends, The emergence of the Omicron variant has understandably captured global attention. The emergence of any new variant should capture our attention, especially one as highly mutated as Omicron. The WHO Secretariat takes this development extremely seriously, and so should all Member States. But…

World Health Organization (WHO)
Source: World Health Organization (WHO) |

Joint Statement on Dose Donations of COVID-19 Vaccines to African Countries

Dose donations have been an important source of supply while other sources are stepping up, but the quality of donations needs to improve

Building on lessons learned from our collective experience with dose donations over the past several months, the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT), the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and COVAX wish to draw the attention of the international community to the situation of donations of COVID-19…

World Health Organization (WHO)
Source: World Health Organization (WHO) |

Coronavirus - Africa: Update on Omicron

Researchers in South Africa and around the world are conducting studies to better understand many aspects of Omicron

On 26 November 2021, WHO designated the variant B.1.1.529 a variant of concern, named Omicron, on the advice of WHO’s Technical Advisory Group on Virus Evolution (TAG-VE) (https://bit.ly/317uIkp).  This decision was based on the evidence presented to the TAG-VE that Omicron has several mutations that may have an impact on…

World Health Organization (WHO)

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    • Dr Sivile at the multi-month dispensing unit that was installed to survive the COVID-19 pandemic. Credit: ©Dr Sivile/Bauleni Clinic
    • Dr Sivile and HIV testers at the clinic review the log-books and discuss the data together. Credit: ©Dr Sivile/Bauleni Clinic
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Source: World Health Organization (WHO) |

Strength in numbers: data, partners and leadership create resilient HIV services during COVID-19 in Zambia

WHO applauds Zambia’s Ministry of Health and all the health workers for their resilience and achievements in delivering HIV testing and treatment services in face of many challenges

Dr Suilanji Sivile is an HIV clinician in Zambia who started working in the Eastern Province nearly a decade ago. He is also an HIV Technical Advisor at the Ministry of Health, leading many national COVID-19 activities. Reflecting on how the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded in Zambia, Dr Sivile highlights key…

World Health Organization (WHO)
Source: World Health Organization (WHO) |

World Health Organization Secretariat announcement regarding the election of the next WHO Director-General

The Director-General is WHO’s chief technical and administrative officer

The appointment of the next Director-General of the World Health Organization will take place at the Seventy-fifth World Health Assembly in May 2022 (WHA75). The Director-General is WHO’s chief technical and administrative officer. The election process began when Member States, through a circular letter sent by the WHO Secretariat in April 2021,…

World Health Organization (WHO)
Source: World Health Organization (WHO) |

WHO Unveils Action Plan to Address Findings of Independent Commission on DRC SEA Allegations

The plan outlines short-term actions focusing on the most urgent recommendations of the IC Report

WHO today published its Management Response Plan to address the findings of the Independent Commission (IC) on allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation (SEA) during the response to the 10th Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) following the issuing of the IC’s report on 28 September. “I am committed to ensuring that the suffering of the survivors and their families is the…

World Health Organization (WHO)
Source: World Health Organization (WHO) |

Football champion Didier Drogba appointed World Health Organization Ambassador for Sports and Health

Mr Drogba, well known for his football career at Chelsea and as a two-time African Footballer of the Year (2006 and 2009), has a long track record of participating in various health campaigns

Football legend Didier Drogba was today announced as the World Health Organization's Goodwill Ambassador for Sport and Health. Drogba, from Côte d’Ivoire, will support WHO to promote the Organization’s guidance on the benefits of physical activity and other healthy lifestyles, and highlight the value of sports, particularly for youth. Mr…

World Health Organization (WHO)
Source: World Health Organization (WHO) |

WHO recommends groundbreaking malaria vaccine for children at risk

Historic RTS,S/AS01 recommendation can reinvigorate the fight against malaria

The World Health Organization (WHO) is recommending widespread use of the RTS,S/AS01 (RTS,S) malaria vaccine among children in sub-Saharan Africa and in other regions with moderate to high P. falciparum malaria transmission The recommendation is based on results from an ongoing pilot programme in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi that has…

World Health Organization (WHO)
Source: World Health Organization (WHO) |

WHO Director-General's remarks at the press conference on the report of the Independent Commission on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse - 28 September 2021

The commission has identified dozens of potential victims of sexual exploitation and abuse, and 21 alleged perpetrators, who were employed by WHO at the time of the events

Good morning, good afternoon and good evening. As you know, in October last year, I appointed an Independent Commission to investigate allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse during the response to the tenth Ebola Virus Disease epidemic in North Kivu and Ituri, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The…