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News Releases

Pioneer UN volunteers at WHO Regional Office for Africa

Today, 8 March 2020, the world is celebrating the International Women Day. The theme this year is "I am Generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights”. It is a call to address inequities. The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa committed to achieving gender parity among its staff. Women now account for 33% of WHO workforce, up from 27% in 2015. 
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WHO and key health partners join forces to fight COVID-19 in Africa

With confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Algeria, Senegal, Nigeria and South Africa, the World Health Organization (WHO) and key health partners are strengthening cooperation to better coordinate readiness and response efforts across Africa. WHO convened a meeting in Nairobi this week, with representatives from the Kenyan Health Ministry, the African Union and key United Nations partner agencies in attendance.  A parallel meeting was also taking place in Dakar with Francophone partners, also led by the WHO Regional Office for Africa.
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Inoculating against the ‘infodemic’ in Africa

On entering Uganda’s Entebbe International Airport, visitors are greeted by posters on how to prevent COVID-19 transmission, even before having their temperatures taken by medical staff.  Video messages play in the departure and arrival lounges. So far, the number of people in Africa confirmed to have the virus is much smaller than other parts of the world. But as more health ministries in Africa have confirmed the presence of the virus in their countries, what was once a distant threat is now much closer.  
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Senegal reports first COVID-19 case

Senegal today reported its first case of COVID-19, becoming the fourth country in Africa to confirm the virus. The patient is a French national and a resident of Senegal who returned to Dakar on 26 February.
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Nigeria targets nearly 12 million in Yellow fever vaccination across two high risk S...

Abuja, 28 February 2020 – Determined to protect the country against an outbreak of Yellow fever, the Government of Nigeria with support of the World Health Organization (WHO), and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, is launching a Yellow fever preventive mass vaccination campaign to commence in Rivers State on the 28 February 2020, aimed at reaching nearly 12 million persons in Rivers and Anambra States.

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WHO pledges to support African countries on joint coronavirus disease preparedness a...

As the threat of coronavirus disease looms over the continent, the World Health Organization (WHO) promised to support African Union Member States on a common preparedness and response strategy. WHO joined Health Ministers in an Emergency Meeting on the Coronavirus Disease Outbreak, which was convened on 22 February by the African Union Commission in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
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Polio-Nigeria leaves no stone unturned, targets over 55 million children in house-to...

Abuja, 20 February, 2020 - “My son Aliyu Abubakar is two months old, this is the first time he is receiving vaccination, going out there to take him was quite a hassle. I am glad the house-to house team is here to save us waiting time at vaccination post. My other children have taken complete doses of vaccine and are very healthy,  this is the reason my husband insisted Aliyu gets vaccinated upon seeing your people”, says  Hauwa Mohammed, a mother of three children at Wassa Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camp, Federal Capital Territory (FCT). 

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