Harare, 17 Oct. 2011 -- The Government of Zimbabwe is committed to addressing the Social Determinants of Health (SDH) and ensure equitable access to health for all Zimbabweans. This was said by the Honorable Minister of Health and Child Welfare, Dr Henry Madzorera at a press conference he held on the eve of his departure for the World Summit on Social Determinants of Health in Rio de Janeiro Brazil.

Cape Verde and Mauritius are two of four countries (the others are Sri Lanka and Turkmenistan) documented in a new series of case studies on malaria elimination by The Global Health Group at the University of California, San Francisco  (UCSF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Malaria Programme.

Having worked in collaboration with ministries of health in affected countries, UCSF and WHO  highlight new evidence about what works — and what does not — for reaching and sustaining zero malaria transmission.

Harare, 17 Oct. 2012 -- Zimbabwe joined the rest of the world in commemorating Global Handwashing Day at an event held at Zengeza High School in Chitungwiza. The event, which was held under the theme Help more children reach their 5th birthday was targeted at schoolchildren, because children are enthusiastic and open to new ideas and often act as agents of change by taking the “handwashing lessons” back into their homes and communities.

Dr Sambo calls for concrete actions to reduce maternal, infant and child deaths

Lesotho commemorated World Mental Health Day on 10 October 2012 at Mohlomi Hospital under this year’s theme “Depression, a global crisis”.

The theme offered the opportunity to focus on how Lesotho can best work together to reduce the burden of mental illness and individual sufferings resulting from depression. The celebration included a fun walk, drama and singing by staff and patients.

Ambrose Ganshanga, a 29-year-old occupational therapist in western Uganda, works with children with spina bifida. Spina bifida is a congenital anomaly (commonly referred to as a birth defect) in which the spinal column does not develop normally during the first weeks of pregnancy. This causes permanent damage to the spinal cord and nervous system, and can result in paralysis of the lower limbs or problems with bowel and bladder function.

THE REGIONAL MINISTER FOR UPPER WEST REGION AS SPECIAL GUEST of honour at the lauching ceremony of MenA Campaign! This happened on 5th October, 2012 at Tendamba Junior High School Park.

“The objective of such customized launching was to ensure adequate public awareness for the Meningitis type ‘A’ Mass vaccination campaign in the region”, explained WHO EPI Focal Point, Mr Stanley Diamenu who has been supporting the region from the start of preparation.

Pretoria, 11 October 2012 -- South Africa’s State President, His Excellency Mr Jacob Zuma, has launched the government’s Integrated School Health Programme (ISHP) planned to reach twelve million pupils in a phased approach. “We will start with the no-fee schools which include the most disadvantaged schools in the country that serve our poorest communities.”

The Ministry of Health in Lesotho, recognizing the importance of focusing at the district level for vaccination service delivery has, in partnership with WHO Lesotho, began conducting training of health facility nurses on the RED Approach strategy to strengthening vaccination coverage for the districts with the largest numbers of unvaccinated children.

The first training was conducted in Leribe from the 08th -11th October 2012. The training was facilitated by Mrs. Perpetua Kububa, a WHO consultant and Mrs. Selloane Maepe the EPI focal person in WCO Lesotho.

Sierra Leone launched its National Mental Health Policy and Strategic Plan at the commemoration of World Mental Health Day on 10 October 2012. The documents and the commemoration were launched by the First Lady of Sierra Leone, Mrs Sia Nyama Koroma in a function attended by government functionaries and non-state actors including UN agencies and other development partners, mental health advocates, the civil society and the media.