Monrovia — As Liberia tackled rising COVID-19 cases in 2022, rapid diagnostic testing of everyone living within 100 metres of newly confirmed cases helped break transmission chains and significantly boosted the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines through reactive vaccination. The community-based testing strategy to decentralize COVID-19 response allowed health workers to conduct door-to-door community sensitization to tackle COVID-19 misinformation, including

Maputo – Mozambique today kicked off a cholera vaccination campaign targeting around 720 000 people in eight districts as the country steps up control measures against an outbreak in which 5260 cases and 37 deaths have been recorded to date since September 2022. People aged one year and older will be vaccinated in the five-day

By Dr Tapfumaneyi Mashe Harare, Zimbabwe - Over reliance on antibiotics has also led to the growing silent pandemic of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) over the years. AMR happens when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites evolve and stop responding to antimicrobials over time. The Extended Spectrum Beta-Lactamase Escherichia coli (ESBL Ec) Tricycle study's preliminary findings indicated

Lilongwe, Malawi – In late 2022 staff at Tukombo health centre, a stone’s throw away from the shores of Lake Malawi, were stretched to the limit. The small facility in northern Malawi had been repurposed to serve as a cholera treatment centre to care for hundreds of patients as cases surged amid the country’s worst

Accra, Ghana - The Government of Ghana has launched an expansion of the national malaria vaccine immunization programme to deliver malaria vaccines to thousands of children at high risk of malaria illness and death in Ghana. The malaria vaccine Mosquirix– RTS,S, the first vaccine recommended by the World Health Organization(WHO) to prevent malaria and significantly

Harare – When Baba Ruvheni heard health workers from his village talking about a measles outbreak in the country, he thought twice before getting his grandchild vaccinated. “Rumours in our community said these vaccines were for COVID-19, which was confusing. But the village health workers explained to us how dangerous measles could be and that

Harare, Zimbabwe - Tuberculosis (TB) is the ninth leading cause of death worldwide, ranking above HIV/AIDS. Globally, 10.6 million people developed TB while an estimated 1.6 million people died of TB in 2021 alone. Despite progress made in the last two decades, the incidence of TB is not declining fast enough to end the disease.

Addis Ababa ‒ African heads of state today agreed on key measures to revamp routine immunization across the continent following massive disruptions by the COVID-19 pandemic that stymied childhood vaccination programmes and heightened outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases. A total of 8.4 million children in the African region, compared with 18 million globally, were left out

Brazzaville – A year since Malawi confirmed its first case of wild poliovirus type 1 in 30 years, more than 33 million children across five southern African countries have been vaccinated against the virus, with over 80 million vaccine doses administered over the past year. A total of nine wild poliovirus cases have been reported

Brazzaville – A CAD$ 30 million project in partnership with Canada’s Global Initiative for Vaccine Equity (CanGIVE) is set to significantly bolster targeted, equitable delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to high-risk communities across Africa. Through World Health Organization (WHO), the Government of Canada will provide funding over two years to support the scale-up of vaccine delivery, specifically

The 39th Expert Review Committee (ERC) for Polio Eradication and Routine Immunization has expressed optimism that the Nigerian programme is on course to stop the transmission of the circulating Variant Polio Virus (cVPV2) with ‘impressive progress’ recorded. The ERC meets periodically to evaluate progress toward the attainment of a polio-free Nigeria. The monitoring body comprising

Mauritius marked the World Cancer 2023 at national level with high commitment to reduce barriers to life-saving preventive services while focusing on raising awareness on cancer. The World Health Organization (WHO) Representative in Mauritius, Dr Anne Marie Ancia, the Parliamentary Private Secretary, Mr Serge Gilbert Bablee, and other personalities attended the event in the presence