Ethiopia News

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — March 2026 The World Health Organization (WHO) Ethiopia Country Office played a decisive role in the rapid containment of the Ethiopia ’s first-ever Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) outbreak, successfully interrupting transmission within a short period and enabling the official closure of the outbreak on 26 January 2026. The achievement marks a major milestone in Ethiopia’s public health response and demonstrates the effectiveness of coordinated, multi-level emergency operations.

Jimma, Ethiopia | 27 February 2026 — Jimma University is advancing national efforts in Ethiopia to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR) through the Local Production of Antibiotic Disc (LoPAD) project, an innovative initiative supported by the World Health Organization (WHO) under the Leap Engage Accelerate Disrupt (LEAD) Innovation Challenge Program.

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — Professor Francis Chisaka Kasolo has officially begun his tenure as WHO Representative to Ethiopia, the African Union, and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa after presenting his credentials to H.E. Dr. Aziza Geleta, Director General of Protocol Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - In a landmark step toward strengthening national health security, Ethiopia officially launched the digitalization of its Public Health Emergency Management (PHEM) system, marking significant progress toward establishing the Public Health Emergency Management Center of Excellence (PHEM-COE).

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – 18 February 2026 – The Federal Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and with technical support from the World Health Organization (WHO), has launched a series of High‑Level Multisectoral Dialogues focused on aligning national priorities, investments, and policies for health workforce development. This work is supported by funding from the United Kingdom Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC).

Ethiopia’s Amhara Region face public health challenges driven by recurrent disease outbreaks, conflict-related displacement, and limited access to safe water and sanitation. Among the most critical emergencies in recent years has been cholera, an acute diarrhoeal disease linked to unsafe water and poor hygiene practices. 

The fourth-round national polio vaccination campaign with type two novel Oral Polio Vaccine (nOPV2) marked a milestone reaching over 26 million children in all regions, while in 22 zones in seven regions in Amhara, Oromia, Somali, South Ethiopia, Harari, Dire Dawa and Afar regions co-administered with bivalent oral polio vaccine (bOPV).

Over 275,000 women screened, target exceeded by 103%, and thousands of precancerous lesions treated on the spot.

Addis Ababa, 14 January 2026 – Ethiopia has celebrated the successful closure of an unprecedented month-long cervical cancer screening and treatment campaign in six selected regions, achieving and surpassing almost every target set just 30 days earlier.

Ethiopia is accelerating the implementation of its Tobacco Control Proclamation through strengthened enforcement systems and coordinated multisectoral action, with the World Health Organization (WHO) Ethiopia Country Office playing a central role in translating policy into practice and supporting national institutions to protect communities from the harms of tobacco use.