Coronavirus - Africa: WHO and UNICEF warn of a decline in vaccinations during COVID-19

This is due to disruptions in the delivery and uptake of immunization services caused by the COVID-19 pandemic

WHO and UNICEF call for immediate efforts to vaccinate all children as new data shows that, before the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccine coverage stalled at 85 per cent for nearly a decade, with 14 million unvaccinated infants yearly The World Health Organization and UNICEF warned today of an alarming decline in…

Ten African countries endorse cross-border collaboration framework on Ebola outbreak preparedness and response

Representatives of the Member States agreed to strengthen mechanisms for the exchange of timely and accurate information on Ebola preparedness

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and its nine neighbouring countries today, during a meeting of ministers, senior health and immigration officials and partners in Goma, endorsed a joint framework to strengthen cross-border collaboration on preparedness and response to Ebola virus and other disease outbreaks. Representatives of the 10…

Angola conducts review and validation of data on Neglected Tropical Diseases

The process will allow the country to identify the magnitude of neglected diseases, monitor ongoing prevention and control efforts

The Angolan Ministry of Health, with technical support from WHO, carried out a data review and validation of five key Neglected Tropical Diseases. namely lymphatic filariasis (LF), onchocerciasis (Onco), schistosomiasis (SCH), geohelminthiasis or soil-borne helminths (HTS) and trachoma The process will allow the country to identify the magnitude of neglected…

Restoring people’s trust in medical facilities an essential prescription for achieving universal health coverage

The delegates to the annual WHO meeting in Brazzaville recommended including universal health coverage as a standing item on the agenda of every Regional Committee

Populations across the 47 Member States of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) African Region only utilize an average 48% of their available health services. But only an average 34% of those same populations even has access to essential services. And health systems in those countries only perform, on average, at…

WHO Innovation Challenge to announce 30 finalists at the Africa Health Forum in Cabo Verde

Health-oriented innovations to meet Africa’s unmet health needs

The top 30 health-oriented innovations selected from a field of more than 2 400 entries to the first-ever WHO Innovation Challenge will be presented on opening day of the second WHO Africa Health Forum in Praia, Cabo Verde, on 26 March 2019. The WHO Innovation Challenge received a total of…

The yellow fever outbreak in Angola and Democratic Republic of the Congo ends

The outbreak, which was first detected in Angola in December 2015, had caused 965 confirmed cases of yellow fever across the two countries, with thousands more cases suspected

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) declared the end of the yellow fever outbreak in that country today following a similar announcement in Angola on 23 December 2016, bringing an end to the outbreak in both countries after no new confirmed cases were reported from both countries for the past…

Millions protected in Africa’s largest-ever emergency yellow fever vaccination campaign

A major part of the largest emergency vaccination campaign against yellow fever ever attempted in Africa has been completed, with more than 7.7 million people vaccinated in record time in the city of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

A major part of the largest emergency vaccination campaign against yellow fever ever attempted in Africa has been completed, with more than 7.7 million people vaccinated in record time in the city of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).   In less than two weeks, the campaign successfully reached the…

Mass Vaccination Campaign to protect Millions against Yellow Fever in Angola and Democratic Republic of the Congo

Working with Ministries of Health in the 2 countries, WHO is coordinating 56 global partners to vaccinate more than 14 million people against yellow fever in more than 8000 locations

One of the largest emergency vaccination campaigns ever attempted in Africa will start in Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo this week as WHO and partners work to curb a yellow fever outbreak that has killed more than 400 people and sickened thousands more. Working with Ministries of Health…

Mobile Labs deliver Faster Yellow Fever Test Results

Yellow fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic disease transmitted by infected mosquitoes

“Treating a yellow fever patient is reliant on having the right diagnosis. This is dependent on having the necessary laboratory capacity to quickly identify the disease,” says Dr Pierre Formenty, an expert in haemorrhagic fevers at WHO and Manager of the Emerging Dangerous Pathogens Laboratory Network.  Yellow fever is an…

Launch of emergency vaccination campaigns on the DR Congo and Angola border

 As the yellow fever outbreak in Angola and Democratic Republic of the Congo continues, the World Health Organization will launch emergency pre-emptive vaccination campaigns on the DR Congo, Angola border and the city of Kinshasa in the DR Congo to halt the epidemic and prevent the risk of further international spread. The…