Afrigather As we commemorate the seventy fifth Anniversary of the World Well being Group (WHO) on 7 April 2023 beneath the theme of The 2023 World Well being Day “Well being for all” , we pause to take inventory of public well being milestones. We additionally pause to take inventory of present and future challenges, and the necessity to collectively be certain that probably the most weak and furthest behind have entry to high quality, important well being care companies.
Over the previous 75 years, the world witnessed developments in public well being value celebrating. In 2020, WHO gave emergency use itemizing to 10 sorts of COVID-19 vaccines, the primary of those on the final day of 2020. Inside solely 15 days of WHO itemizing the vaccines for emergency use, 101 nations issued nationwide regulatory authorization, basing their selections on WHO risk-based evaluation and accelerating vaccine roll-out.
Previous to the institution of the World Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988, beneath WHO management, polio used to paralyze greater than 350,000 individuals per yr worldwide. Nonetheless, the instances have since dropped by 99% because of immunization in opposition to polio. Namibia was licensed polio free since October 2008 and continued routine and nationwide immunization campaigns to keep up its polio free standing. Moreover, the nationwide protection for many childhood immunization stays above the worldwide really helpful charges making certain elevated little one survival.
One other notable international public well being achievement is the eradication of smallpox in 1979 following an bold 12-year immunization programme led by the WHO. These are however a number of international achievements in public well being that we as members states of the World Well being Group are proud to be related to. Namibia celebrated 33 years of Independence and may acknowledge nationwide public well being achievements in partnership with the World Well being Group.
Namibia’s funding in HIV pandemic management resulted in a 65% decline within the variety of new infections and a 74% decline in HIV-related deaths since 2004. Life expectancy elevated by 12 years from 51 years in 2001 to 63 years in 2020. Moreover, the nation is without doubt one of the first excessive burden nations to method epidemic management as per the UNAIDS 95-95-95 remedy cascade with 92% of Individuals Dwelling with HIV conscious of their standing, 99% of them being on HIV remedy and of the latter 94% being virally suppressed. Namibia made appreciable progress within the prevention of mom to little one transmission. In 2022, the nation attained a common protection of over 95% for the primary antennal care go to, pregnant ladies HIV and syphilis testing and maternal anti-retroviral remedy.
Common well being protection stays a precedence for Namibia making certain that each Namibian has entry to well being care the place and when they should, with out the monetary burden that will restrict entry. In 2016, it was estimated that 95.7% (72,720) of births in Namibia occurred in well being services. With a view to improve the supply of a reliable well being workforce, Namibia established its Faculty of Drugs in 2009 with intensive help from the World Well being Group and as of 2022, educated 400 medical medical doctors and 4 specialist anesthetists who’re deployed in several well being services all through the nation.
Lately, Namibia like the remainder of the world, was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. The primary case of COVID 19 was confirmed on 13 March 2020 and I declared a state of emergency on 17 March. COVID 19 vaccination was launched on 18 March 2021 and over 980,000 doses had been administered since then in all 14 areas of the nation. Though the vaccination fee stays low, by way of concerted efforts, and help from the United Nations, particularly WHO, improvement companions, non-public sector, civil society organizations, media and communities, Namibia has sustained a low positivity fee previously yr in comparison with a median of 31.1 % throughout the delta wave. Efforts to extend COVID-19 vaccine uptake are ongoing.
Final yr in March, the nation declared – the top of the Hepatitis E Virus Outbreak, an outbreak that lasted 4-years and affected 13 of the 14 political areas primarily in casual settlements and areas with poor hygiene and sanitation. This success is because of continued, sustained multi-sectoral collaboration with WHO and companions which supported the federal government efforts associated to case administration, surveillance, laboratory companies, an infection prevention and management, threat communication and group engagement, water, sanitation, and hygiene.
Namibia stays dedicated to making sure well being for all in step with objective 4 of the Harambe Prosperity Plan, which ensures entry to well being look after all.
With this, I want to congratulate WHO on its seventy fifth Anniversary and guarantee Namibia’s dedication to our continued partnership.
