Ethiopia News

Adama, Ethiopia, 26 March 2026 — Ethiopia has taken important steps to strengthen patient safety across its health system, as highlighted during a national review meeting of the Global Patient Safety Collaborative held in Adama.

The meeting brought together representatives from the Ministry of Health, 24 health facilities implementing the Patient Safety Friendly Hospital Framework, partner organizations, professional associations, and patient representatives to assess progress, share lessons learned, and identify priorities for scaling up patient safety interventions nationwide.

Ethiopia commemorated World TB Day 2026 from 27-29 March 2026 through a three-day national event, bringing together government leaders, researchers, partners, civil society organizations, and TB-affected communities to accelerate action to end tuberculosis (TB)

This year’s commemoration, held under the theme “Yes! We Can End TB: Led by countries, powered by people,” featured the National Tuberculosis Research Conference organized by the Oromia Regional Health Bureau in collaboration with the Ethiopian Public Health Institute.

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.

Arba Minch, South Ethiopia Region—March 2026 will forever be etched in the memory of 40-year-old Datare Debebe Dasho. A resident of Genata Village in Gacho Baba Woreda (District) in South Ethiopia Region, Datare is a survivor of catastrophic landslides that occurred between 9 and 10 March.

Heavy and continuous rainfall triggered multiple landslides and flooding across eight woredas in Gamo Zone, South Ethiopia Region, leaving widespread destruction and loss of life. At least 125 deaths have been reported, with 81 bodies recovered so far.

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 - 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 — 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 – 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).