AFRONews is a quarterly newsletter of the WHO Regional Office for Africa. This issue reports on the re-appointment and the beginning of the second term of the Regional Director.

Pandemic Influenza (H1N1) 2009 - Current situation in the WHO African Region

As of March 10, 2010, 09H00 GMT, 34 countries have officially reported 17,547 laboratory confirmed human cases of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 including 167 deaths.
View breakdown of confirmed cases by country

Improving malaria diagnosis and treatment

9 March 2010 -- WHO is releasing the first ever guidance on procuring safe and efficient anti-malarial medicines. The guidelines will help countries select and obtain effective, good quality medicines and save lives by improving the way patients are diagnosed and treated.

Read the news release on the new malaria guidelines
Read the guidelines for treatment of malaria

Malian President, WHO Regional Director for Africa launch synchronized polio campaign in West and Central Africa

Moribabougou (Mali), 6 March 2010 – Malian President Ahmadou Toumani Toure and WHO Regional Director for Africa Dr Luis Sambo on Saturday launched a massive vaccina-tion campaign which will see more than 85 million children in 19 West and Central African countries immunized against polio.

The synchronized cross-border campaign flagged off in Moribabougou, a small town and commune situated 15 kilometers south-east of the Malian capital, Bamako.