Bahir Dar– The Addisalem Cholera Treatment Center (CTC) spans an impressive area of 300 square meters and caters to a substantial catchment area, home to a population of over 350,000. The CTC was built by the World Health Organization as a response center in a district with a history of reported cholera cases.  Treatment Centers

By Vivian Mugarisi Harare, Zimbabwe – Seventy-three (73) year old Brenda Mareva** was diagnosed with HIV in 2009 and commenced treatment same year. With ageing, she suffered a stroke in 2004 and was also initiated on hypertensive medication. In 2005, she was diagnosed of Parkinson’s disease, a brain condition that causes problems with movement, mental

Malawi is the first country in Africa to utilize the recently updated Global Task Force for Cholera Control tool to identify priority areas for multi-sectoral interventions (PAMIs, also called hotspots) for cholera control. A timely approach as the country embarks on a roadmap to develop a multi-sectoral cholera control strategy. Dr Fred Kapaya, a cholera

On 5th August 2023, Ministry of Health with support from World Health Organization deployed the first ever national 12-member Emergency Medical Team (EMT) to Chikwawa District. This team was trained in two sessions held in April and June 2023 as part of preparedness for public health emergencies. A time, cholera cases were on the rise

Fifth annual meeting adopts recommendation marking pivotal milestone in efforts to address skin-related neglected tropical diseases The network of Buruli ulcer PCR laboratories (BU-LABNET) in the WHO African Region concluded its fifth annual meeting held at the esteemed Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research in Accra, Ghana on 23–25 October 2023. This meeting marked a

Dar es  Salaam - The raise in frequency and severity of health emergencies make integrated management of human and animal health important. More than 70% of emerging infectious diseases have an animal origin, transmitted directly, through food or via the environment. Animal-specific diseases can also have indirect implications for human health through food security and

When COVID-19 vaccination was introduced in Ghana, Gershon Kwame Osei, a religious leader from Ave-Dakpa Community in the Akatsi North District of Ghana’s Volta region was one of the influential voices against the vaccine due to myths and superstition.  Now, his advocacy and social mobilization work along with many others is generating demand and driving

Accra, Ghana – The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) Ghana have signed an agreement to pilot a new project that will strengthen ongoing efforts to protect against the dangers of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in Ghana. The new project titled - Partnership for Health Security in Ghana under the “Increasing

Maputo – The Africa Regional Certification Commission for Polio Eradication (ARCC) has advised Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe, together with health partners, to urgently address gaps in polio immunity in order to prevent outbreaks. This recommendation follows a week of intense discussions between partners, countries and ARCC members in Maputo, Mozambique, from 31

27 October 2023 The WHO-led Epidemic Intelligence from Open Sources (EIOS) training program equips public health specialists to strengthen Botswana’s public health infrastructure. In the ever-evolving landscape of public health, timely and accurate health emergency monitoring is a vital resource to track and respond to outbreaks.  Between 18 and 20 September 2023, in partnership with

By Vivian Mugarisi Mutare, Zimbabwe – Zimbabwe has an annual average population growth of 1.5% and high burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases. The rising demand for healthcare services has put pressure on available health workforce. In addition, health systems for low-income countries like Zimbabwe face challenges in critical areas of human resources for health

Uganda has one of the best emergency preparedness and response systems in Africa. This is the finding of the second Joint External Evaluation (JEE) exercise that assessed the country's capacity to detect, prevent, and respond rapidly to public health emergencies in accordance with the International Health Regulations (IHR, 2005). The JEE is a peer review