Congo hosts Africa’s first simulation exercise on antimicrobial resistance surveillance

Congo hosts Africa’s first simulation exercise on antimicrobial resistance surveillance

Brazzaville—Health officials from the Republic of the Congo and World Health Organization (WHO) experts today conducted a simulation exercise on antimicrobial resistance (AMR), making the country the first in the region to host such an activity to provide practical, hands-on experience on assessing how well countries can detect, report and respond to drug-resistant infections.

WHO supports Mauritius in strengthening its National Health Security

WHO supports Mauritius in strengthening its National Health Security
WHO supports Mauritius in carrying out its second Joint External Evaluation of the International Health Regulation (IHR) capacities in November 2025. By volunteering for its second JEE, Mauritius has shown its strong commitment, foresight, leadership, and confidence in the process with the aim of safeguarding the population’s health. A wide range of participants, including key programme leads and technical experts from various departments were mobilized to contribute to both the self-assessment and the external evaluation. With its extensive, high-quality human, veterinary, and environmental services, Mauritius has consistently demonstrated its ability to respond rapidly and effectively to multiple public health threats in the past. WHO is supporting the country in ensuring this strength is sustained and further advanced by fully leveraging the IHR (2005) to reinforce core capacities for responding to both known and emerging public health threats in the future. Mauritius as a Small Island Developing State faces unique vulnerabilities such as geographic isolation, limited human and financial resources, high dependence on travel and trade, and heightened exposure to climate-sensitive health threats such as vector-borne diseases and extreme weather events. These factors can rapidly amplify public health emergencies and disrupt essential services, as well as social and economic development, if the country has inadequate preparedness and readiness. The JEE brings together a multidisciplinary team of international experts from WHO, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and the Indian Ocean Commission, with the objective of assessing Mauritius’s core public health capacities under the IHR (2005). It also aims to strengthen the country’s preparedness and response to public health emergencies across 19 technical areas and 56 indicators under the four domains: Prevent, Detect, Respond, and IHR-related hazards and Points of Entry.

Sierra Leone resource mobilization masterclass: Turning ideas into impact

Sierra Leone resource mobilization masterclass: Turning ideas into impact

Freetown—From 1–3 December 2025, the WHO Regional Office for Africa (WHO AFRO) and the WHO Sierra Leone Country Office jointly conducted a high-level Resource Mobilization (RM) Masterclass in Freetown to strengthen Sierra Leone’s capacity for effective and sustainable health financing for the 2026–2027 biennium.

Africa sets course for affordable, quality medicines with new 10-year roadmap

Africa sets course for affordable, quality medicines with new 10-year roadmap
African leaders and global partners have agreed on a bold 10-year regional vision to redesign how essential health products are financed, produced, and delivered, marking a major step toward ensuring that everyone in the African Region can access affordable, quality-assured medicines and health technologies.

WHO supports Mauritius in developing its first National Infant and Young Child Feeding Policy

HO supports Mauritius in developing its first National Infant and Young Child Feeding Policy
Mauritius, with the support of the World Health Organization (WHO), completed a three-day national consultative workshop from 17 to 19 November 2025 to develop its first comprehensive National Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) Policy. The workshop was organized by the Ministry of Health and Wellness in collaboration with technical assistance from WHO AFRO, WHO Headquarters, and in-country partners. Infant and young child feeding is central to the survival, growth, and long-term wellbeing of children. Although Mauritius has strong programmes such as the National Action Plan on Breastfeeding (2022–2027) recent analyses have highlighted the absence of a unified national IYCF policy. This gap has led to: •    Fragmented interventions across health, labour, education, and social sectors •    Limited enforcement of breastfeeding protection and maternity entitlements •    Insufficient guidance for supporting preterm and low-birth-weight infants •    Variations in feeding counselling and community support •    Lack of a structured response to IYCF during emergencies and disease outbreaks Given Mauritius’ increasing number of preterm births and the need to strengthen early childhood development, a national policy is essential to provide one coherent, evidence-based framework that protects, promotes, and supports optimal feeding for all infants, including the most vulnerable.

Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe Chart $18.6M Climate-Resilient WASH Plan to Protect Health and Water Security

WHO convenes proposal writing workshop to advance climate-resilient WASH solutions for countries

WHO convenes proposal writing workshop to advance climate-resilient WASH solutions for countries

Lusaka, Zambia - As floods, droughts, and rising temperatures threaten water security, energy, and public health across Southern Africa, governments and partners are taking bold steps to protect vulnerable communities through climate-resilient Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) systems.

São Tomé and Príncipe: Putting vaccination at the forefront in a changing world

São Tomé and Príncipe: Putting vaccination at the forefront in a changing world

São Tomé —At the maternal and child health centre of Agua Grande in the country’s capital, São Tomé, it’s vaccination day. By 9:00, the benches are filled with mothers cradling their babies and fathers watching over older children, while health booklets pass quietly from hand to hand amid the conversations. In the adjacent rooms, nurses prepare the vaccines, call families one by one and carefully record the data. Calm and trust fill the space.

Early health preparedness protects families during seasonal floods in Adamawa State

1A WHO volunteer at the field providing health services to women and children at a camp for people displaced by flood in Adamawa State

Yola, In flood-prone Adamawa State, north-east Nigeria, early health preparedness helped protect thousands of vulnerable people from preventable disease outbreaks during the 2025 rainy season.

Through a government-led intervention coordinated by the Adamawa State Ministry of Health (SMOH) with technical support from the World Health Organization (WHO), health teams were deployed ahead of peak flooding in seven high-risk local government areas: Yola South, Yola North, Numan, Girei, Lamurde, Fufore and Demsa.

WHO hands over two ambulances and oxygen equipment to strengthen emergency referrals in The Gambia

WHO hands over two ambulances and oxygen equipment to strengthen emergency referrals in The Gambia

Banjul — The World Health Organization (WHO) has handed over two fully-equipped ambulances and oxygen concentrators to the Ministry of Health (MoH), boosting The Gambia’s capacity to provide timely emergency referrals and lifesaving care.

The donation, valued at approximately USD 200,000 (about GMD 15 million), was presented during a ceremony attended by the Honourable Minister of Health, Dr Ahmadou Lamin Samateh; the WHO Representative, Dr Nathan Bakyaita; senior MoH officials; and frontline health workers.

The support includes: