Programmes and Clusters News

17 February 2020 | Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Ethiopia stepping up readiness for coronavirus disease outbreak

Home to one of Africa’s busiest international airline hubs, Ethiopia is bolstering preparedness to contain a potential outbreak of coronavirus disease, now known as COVID-19. Health authorities are tightening up surveillance, diagnosis, epidemic response coordination and public health education to swiftly detect cases and limit widespread infections. Ethiopia is among 13 African countries the World Health Organization (WHO) considers as top priority for COVID-19 preparedness due to direct links or a high volume of travel to China. No case has been reported in the continent. WHO is strengthening its support to countries to detect and manage suspect cases and ensure a robust response when the first case is detected.

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14 February 2020 | Ebola Disease

Four countries in the African region license vaccine in milestone for Ebola prevention

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Burundi, Ghana and Zambia have licensed an Ebola vaccine, just 90 days after World Health Organization (WHO) prequalification. Registration of the vaccine is expected in additional countries in the coming weeks.

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13 February 2020 | Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Supporting media to bust harmful myths on coronavirus disease

From eating garlic to gargling with mouthwash, the public space is full of information about how to prevent coronavirus disease. However, much of this is misinformation. To counter this spread of harmful rumours, the World Health Organization (WHO) is organizing workshops in many African countries to inform media professionals on the facts about COVID-19.

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11 February 2020 | Vaccines Polio

Republic of Congo steps up polio vaccination in border region

Ouesso, (Congo), 11 February 2020 - Under a sultry and showery sky, small teams fanned out across villages in Sangha, a department in the far north of Republic of the Congo, vaccinating children against wild poliovirus i…

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6 February 2020 | Sustainable Development Goals

Towards delivering on health goals in countries

The World Health Organization (WHO) has brought key health partners together to rally support for the critical functions needed in country offices to help African Members States achieve universal health coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals.

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5 February 2020 | Coronavirus (COVID-19)

The African region reinforces preparedness for novel coronavirus

Brazzaville, 5 February 2020 – While there are no confirmed cases of novel coronavirus reported in the African region, the World Health Organization (WHO) is strengthening its support to countries in the detection and ma…

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4 February 2020 | Cancer Cervical cancer

Low-tech screening expands cervical cancer diagnosis in Madagascar

She waited anxiously for a check-up at a local clinic. Merely a minute after being examined, Gisele* received the result of her cervical cancer test. Up to 8000 women are tested every year, mostly through a community-based screening programme in Madagascar, where cervical cancer is the deadliest type of cancer among women.

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31 January 2020 | Coronavirus (COVID-19) Emergencies

WHO ramps up preparedness for novel coronavirus in the African region

The World Health Organization (WHO) is scaling up novel coronavirus preparedness efforts in the African region and supporting countries to implement recommendations outlined by the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee, which met in Geneva, Switzerland on 30 January. On the advice of the Emergency Committee, the WHO Director-General, declared the novel coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). 

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