By Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, 11 December 2015

Health is widely considered to be a fundamental human right, yet the sad truth is that far too many people around the world still do not have access to basic health care. Millions of Africans in particular are unable to access or afford the services they need to survive and thrive without incurring financial hardship. 

Pretoria – In support of the second ever UHC on 12 December 2015, the WHO joins nearly 600 partners in celebrating progress in over 100 countries in achieving universal health coverage.

In South Africa, WHO celebrates both UHC Day and the launch of the National Health Insurance white paper launched today, which provides the roadmap for realizing universal health coverage in South Africa. 

Dar es Salaam, 10 December 2015 - Tanzania is currently experiencing a severe Cholera Outbreak which started in mid-August 2015.  Recently, the President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Dr. John Pombe Magufuli, called on all in the country to commemorate Uhuru (Independence) Day on the 9th of December 2015, by focusing on “a major cleanup campaign aimed at contributing to stopping the spread of cholera in the country”.

28 September 2015 - The World Health Organization (WHO),  The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) unite in urging countries to develop appropriate investment strategies to eliminate human rabies - a disease mainly transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected dog and is widespread in low-income countries, with little or no domestic dog management or vaccination programmes.

The First Lady of Uganda, Hon. Janet Kataha Museveni, hosted and launched the 11th and final Elimination of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV & AIDS (EMTCT) campaign which began with a stakeholder breakfast meeting at her private home in Rwakitura, Kiruhura district and later a National Launch at  Nyakasharara Public grounds. The theme of the day was “Towards an HIV Free Generation”.

To mark World Aids Day 2015, the Ministry of Health, through the CCS-AIDS (Coordinating Committee for the Combat against AIDS), held the main event of the day at the National Assembly in order to discuss the HIV –AIDS pandemic both on the global level and national level.

Dar es Salaam, 10 December 2015 - The WHO Tanzania country office provided the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare equipment to strengthen disease surveillance, nutrition and maternal and child health care services in the country.

Dar es Salaam, 10 December 2015 – Tanzania's cholera outbreak, which began in late August 2015, has progressively spread to more than half of country's regions, affecting thousands of people. Months into the response, local capacities and resources are overstretched; prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to classify the outbreak an organization-wide priority, enabling it to deploy additional resources to contain the disease’s spread.

10 December 2015 -- Currently, about 80% of people exposed to rabies live in poor, rural areas of Africa and Asia with no access to prompt treatment. A new framework to eliminate human rabies and save tens of thousands of lives each year has been launched today by WHO and partners. The framework calls for 3 key actions - making human vaccines and antibodies affordable, ensuring people who get bitten receive prompt treatment, and mass dog vaccinations to tackle the disease at its source.

Abuja, 10 December 2015 - The induction programmed for newly recruited staff into the World Health Organization, Nigeria Country office, a new WHO African Region (AFRO) initiative in furtherance of the   transformation agenda, has been successfully concluded. The 2-day intensive course was held in Abuja on 8 and 9 December with 19 participants drawn from across the country.