Infographics | WHO | Regional Office for Africa

Planning workshop for water quality monitoring for senior managers held

07 February 2019

The workshop, was held from 9 to 11 January 2019 at Mazowe Hotel in Mashonaland Central province. The meeting was prompted by several factors including the fact that Zimbabwe does not have a water safety plan or a water quality monitoring plan and is facing an onslaught from cholera and typhoid outbreaks which are both associated with poor water quality and sanitation.

House by house, telling girls and families the dangers of female circumcision in Kenya

06 February 2019

For three days, Sadia Hussein struggled in labour with the birth of her first daughter. The traditional birth attendant could not deliver the baby due to the constricted birth canal – the direct result of the female circumcision Sadia was subjected to when she was 10 years old.

Ebola – Rwanda completes the revision of its National Contingency Plan

Nyamata, MOH, WHO Country Office, Health Partners and Donors meeting to review and update the Rwanda EVD Contingency Plan

06 February 2019

In the context of the ongoing complex Ebola outbreak declared on 1 August 2018 in the Congolese provinces of North KivuIn the context of the ongoing complex Ebola outbreak declared on 1 August 2018 in the Congolese provinces of North Kivu and Ituri, Uganda, South Sudan and Rwanda were declared as priority one countries and are currently undergoing Ebola Virus Disease readiness and preparedness. The Rwandan Ministry of Health, supported by partners, organized a transdisciplinary workshop in January 2019 in Nyamata (Bugesera District of the Eastern Province) gathering its’ Health Partners, Donors and United Nations Agencies to review and update the national Contingency Plan. Nyamata is a promising growing city and has an airport, the Bugesera International Airport (BIA) under construction since August 2017 and expected to be completed in 2019.

South Sudan strengthens the country’s capacity to detect, investigate and respond seasonal and pandemic Influenza

Participants of the influenza sentinel surveillance training

04 February 2019

South Sudan faces a high burden of acute respiratory infections that currently account for at least one-third of outpatient consultations with children under five years being the most affected. South Sudan is yet to initiate influenza surveillance to determine the current influenza burden and identify the types of influenza circulating.

WHO scales up Lassa fever response in affected states

Lassa fever sensitization campaign in a school in Taraba state, Northeast Nigeria.

01 February 2019

Abuja, 1 February 2019 - The World Health Organization (WHO) is scaling up response to the Lassa fever outbreaks in states across Nigeria to strengthen rapid containment of the disease. WHO is mobilizing experts to intervene in investigations, contact-tracing, risk communication and plans are underway to strengthen efforts to further assist Nigeria in controlling the Lassa fever outbreak.

On 21 January 2019, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) declared an outbreak of Lassa fever following an increase in the number of cases.

Digital messaging taking “too late” out of cancer diagnosing in Zambia

01 February 2019

Too late. It is a common refrain in the recounting of why so many people in Africa are dying from cancer.

Uganda’s Disease Surveillance System Proves to be Effective in Detecting and Follow up Ebola Contacts Suspected Cases

Temperature screening at Mpondwe border point.

31 January 2019

Kampala, 31st January 2019: - Uganda’s disease surveillance system was recently put to a rigorous test when two people, contacts of confirmed Ebola Virus Disease cases in DRC crossed into the country through Kasindi Point of Entry (PoE) on 20th January 2019.

WHO expresses sadness over the death of a colleague working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

31 January 2019

The World Health Organization was saddened to hear this morning about the sudden death of a dear colleague in Beni, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The colleague was deployed from a neighbouring country to Beni to work in the Ebola response, where he supported the administrative team. The exact cause of death is still under investigation, but a preliminary medical report has ruled out Ebola and violence.

Currently, there are 500 WHO staff deployed in the DRC to support the Ebola response.

WHO Supports Botswana To Strengthen System Operations Towards Malaria And Other Vector Borne Disease Elimination

Group photo of participants at the Integrated Vector Management stakeholder engagement meeting in Botswana

30 January 2019

The Government of Botswana has demonstrated commitment to accelerate malaria and other vector borne disease (VBD) elimination. WHO supported the Ministry of Health and Wellness (MoHW) to develop a draft Integrated Vector Management (IVM) strategic plan 2019-2023. This strategic document is intended to facilitate better planning and implementation of vector control aiming at malaria and other VBDs elimination in the country.

South Sudan vaccinates health workers against Ebola

28 January 2019

The Ministry of Health of South Sudan, with support from the World Health Organization (WHO), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, UNICEF and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other partners, today started vaccinating health workers and other front-line responders against Ebola as part of preparedness measures to fight the spread of the disease.