Harare – In a significant step towards strengthening public health and combating emerging health threats, Zimbabwe has convened an inception meeting for the development of its national One Health strategic plan. Led by the Public Health Advisor for the Office of the President and Cabinet, the meeting brought together key stakeholders from human, animal, plant

South Sudan has embarked on a groundbreaking initiative in bolstering its mortality surveillance system by enhancing the capacities of health workers through training. The aim is to improve the collection of accurate disease data, enhance reporting and completeness, and streamline health services, ultimately informing health outcomes. World Health Organization (WHO), with funding from the World

Uganda is the largest refugee-hosting country in Africa and the fifth largest in the world. Over the decades, Uganda has hosted refugees from countries including South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan, Burundi, and Rwanda. As of 31st August 2024, there were 1,7400 000 refugees in Uganda primarily situated within refugee settlements

Dakar – Senegal has become the first country in Africa to receive World Health Organization (WHO) classification for developing the capacity of its emergency medical team to be able to deploy and respond to health crises around the world, marking an historic milestone for the country and significantly boosting the African Region’s emergency response capacity. The

Brazzaville – Access to mental health services in the African region is still inadequate despite recent progress. While countries have made advancements including increasing the number of mental health specialists, investment and policy development, challenges ranging from poor awareness to stigma and insufficient services continue to undermine effective mental health care. Dr Naeem Dalal, a mental

Joint Statement on International Day of the Girl (11 October), by Regional Directors: UNAIDS, Anne Githuku-Shongwe; UNFPA, Lydia Zigomo; UNICEF, Etleva Kadilli and WHO, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti.   Girls’ vision for the future, this year’s theme, conveys both the need for urgent action and persistent hope, driven by the power of girls’ voices and vision

Brazzaville – The African region has made progress over the past decade to strengthen mental health systems, including investments to improve care, health workforce as well as national policies to steer the delivery of vital services. However, the pace of the progress is slow and further efforts are needed to address mental health challenges and

By Dr Leveana Gyimah, WHO Ghana Mental Health Technical Officer and Abdul-Lahie Abdul-Rahim Naa, Communications Officer- WHO Ghana, on World Mental Health Day Accra, Ghana - Mental health is fundamental to our overall well-being, influencing how we think, feel, and interact with the world around us. When our mental health is compromised, every aspect of

Harare - On 3 October 2024, Zimbabwe marked the belated World Health Day and the 50th anniversary of the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), a significant milestone in its public health journey. The dual commemoration provided an opportunity to reflect on the progress made in improving health and well-being in the country, while also acknowledging

Brazzaville – Despite important progress towards integrating eye health into primary health care services in African countries, a dire shortage of financial resources, combined with the concentration of scarce human resources in urban areas and low community awareness, continues to threaten the gains. One in every six blind people globally live in Africa, along with

The Kingdom of Eswatini has successfully completed its second Joint External Evaluation (JEE) of the implementation of the International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005) capacities. The JEE is a voluntary, collaborative, and multisectoral process designed to assess a country’s ability to prevent, detect, and respond swiftly to public health risks, whether they arise naturally or from

Mbabane-Mpendulo Lukhele is a happy father following his decision to allow his daughter Nosimilo Lukhele to take the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine which protects against cervical cancer. Ten (10)-)-year-old Nosimilo took the HPV vaccine in June 2023, when health workers visited her school, Peak Central Primary School, during the HPV introduction campaign conducted by the