World Health Organization (WHO) / Press Release

Source: World Health Organization (WHO) | Oct 24, 2020

Coronavirus: How polio personnel are pivoting against COVID-19

On World Polio Day, we recognize the immense contributions of polio workers to COVID-19 response and acknowledge the major challenges ahead

World Polio Day, on 24 October, is when the world comes together to celebrate the determination that has brought us 99% of the way to ending polio, and reflect on the heights we must scale to defeat the disease completely. This year, Africa was declared free of wild poliovirus, a…

Source: World Health Organization (WHO) | Sep 09, 2020

Coronavirus - Africa: COVID-19 could reverse decades of progress toward eliminating preventable child deaths, agencies warn

In May, initial modelling by Johns Hopkins University showed that almost 6,000 additional children could die per day due to disruptions due to COVID-19

With the number of under-five deaths at an all-time recorded low of 5.2 million in 2019, disruptions in child and maternal health services due to the COVID-19 pandemic are putting millions of additional lives at stake. The number of global under-five deaths dropped to its lowest point on record in…

Source: World Health Organization (WHO) | Aug 25, 2020

Global Polio Eradication Initiative Applauds WHO African Region for Wild Polio-Free Certification

Support from national governments and global donors critical to the region’s success against wild polio and must continue to achieve a polio-free world

Today, the Africa Regional Certification Commission certified the WHO African Region as wild polio-free after four years without a case. With this historic milestone, five of the six WHO regions – representing over 90% of the world’s population – are now free of the wild poliovirus, moving the world closer…

Source: World Health Organization (WHO) | Jul 15, 2020

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…

Source: World Health Organization (WHO) | Jul 02, 2020

Coronavirus - Africa and Middle East: Statement by WHO Regional Director Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari

Increasing numbers of cases are also being reported from Iraq, Libya, Morocco, the occupied Palestinian territory, and Oman

By Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari June 30 marked six months since WHO received the first reports of a cluster of cases of pneumonia of unknown cause in China The six-month mark of the outbreak coincides with reaching 10 million cases and 500,000 deaths world-wide. Although many countries have made some progress,…