Source: World Health Organization (WHO) |

African leaders unite in pledge to end AIDS in children

Currently, around the world, a child dies from AIDS related causes every five minutes

Ministers and representatives from twelve African countries have committed themselves, and laid out their plans, to end AIDS in children by 2030. International partners have set out how they would support countries in delivering on those plans, which were issued at the first ministerial meeting of the Global Alliance to end…

Source: World Health Organization (WHO) |

Africa emerges from holiday travel season with low number of COVID-19 cases

COVID-19 vaccination remains critical in protecting against severe illness and death, as the virus remains in circulation and continues to mutate

Africa is emerging from the New Year travel season without a significant upsurge in COVID-19 for the first time since the start of the pandemic. A total of 20 552 new cases were recorded in the first three weeks of January 2023, a 97% slump compared with the same period…

Source: World Health Organization (WHO) |

Five billion people unprotected from trans-fat leading to heart disease

Industrially produced trans fat-is commonly found in packaged foods, baked goods, cooking oils and spreads

Five billion people globally remain unprotected from harmful trans fat, a new status report from World Health Organization (WHO) has found, increasing their risk of heart disease and death. Since WHO first called for the global elimination of industrially produced trans fat in 2018 – with an elimination target set for…

Source: World Health Organization (WHO) |

Tackling Emerging Antimalarial Drug Resistance in Africa

In recent years, there have been reports from Africa of emerging parasite resistance to artemisinin – the core compound of the best available medicines to treat malaria

WHO is launching today a new strategy to respond to the urgent problem of antimalarial drug resistance in Africa. The strategy is being released during World Antimicrobial Awareness Week, a global annual campaign to improve awareness of the growing threat of resistance to antibiotics and other medicines. In recent years,…

Source: World Health Organization (WHO) |

Over 1 million African children protected by first malaria vaccine

On World Malaria Day, WHO calls for continued innovation to save lives

More than 1 million children in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi have now received one or more doses of the world’s first malaria vaccine, thanks to a pilot programme coordinated by WHO. The malaria vaccine pilots, first launched by the Government of Malawi in April 2019, have shown that the RTS,S/AS01…

Source: World Health Organization (WHO) |

WHO, Ghana and Norway agree to accelerate actions to save lives in first International Strategic Dialogue on Noncommunicable Diseases and the Sustainable Development Goals

Heads of State highlighted the urgency of the NCD pandemic, which kills 7 out of 10 people globally

WHO welcomes the establishment of a new Heads of State and Government Group to accelerate progress towards the SDG target for noncommunicable diseases  ̶ a one-third reduction in “premature” deaths from diseases like diabetes, cancer, heart and lung disease and the promotion of mental health and well-being. The decision was taken…

Source: World Health Organization (WHO) |

WHO Director-General's opening remarks at announcement “spokes” of mRNA technology transfer hub – 18 February 2022

The aim of the hub is to provide a facility where manufacturers from low- and lower-middle income countries can receive training in how to produce certain vaccines, and the licenses to do so

Your Excellency President Macron, Excellency President Macky Sall, Excellency President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, Excellency President Kenyatta, Excellency President Buhari, Excellency President Saied, Excellency President Michel, Excellency President von der Leyen, Excellencies, dear colleagues, and friends, Good morning, bonjour, it’s an honour to be here with you. It’s incredible to think…

Source: World Health Organization (WHO) |

Coronavirus: South Africa’s mRNA Hub Progress is Foundation for Self-reliance

The central aim is to develop a training facility where mRNA technology is developed to the scale required for mass production of vaccines

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Buti Manamela, Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training of the Republic of South Africa, Dr Blade Nzimande, Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology of South Africa, Dr Joe Phaahla, Minister of Health of South Africa and Meryame Kitir, Minister…

Source: World Health Organization (WHO) |

Commonwealth and WHO to Strengthen Cooperation on Health, Including Access to Vaccines

Memorandum of Understanding agreement signed today focuses on ending the COVID-19 pandemic, advancing Universal Health Coverage, addressing vaccine equity, strengthening digital health systems and working towards global health security

The Commonwealth Secretariat and the World Health Organization (WHO) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) committing to strengthening their collaboration on a broad range of public health issues of particular concern to Commonwealth member states and governments, such as the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccine equity, advancing universal…

Source: World Health Organization (WHO) |

Coronavirus – Rwanda: COVAX delivers its 1 billionth COVID-19 vaccine dose

COVAX is leading the largest vaccine procurement and supply operation in history, with deliveries to 144 countries to date

On 15 January 2021, a shipment of 1.1 million COVID-19 vaccines to Rwanda included the billionth dose supplied via COVAX. Together with our partners, COVAX is leading the largest vaccine procurement and supply operation in history, with deliveries to 144 countries to date. But the work that has gone into…