Tying the noose on Cerebrospinal Meningitis- border communities in Jigawa State receive lifesaving vaccines

Saifullahi Bulama, happy to recover from menigitis

Abuja ‒ In mid-March, 16-year-old Saifullahi Bulama, residing in Garin Mu’azu, located in Sule Tankankar Local Government Area (LGA) in Jigawa State, Nigeria, was healthy and running around with his friends.  Suddenly, he contracted cerebrospinal meningitis (CSM).

He recounts how he went to bed that night and could not stand up the next morning. 

“My legs were not working. I had a temperature and my body was aching. I was rushed to the hospital, where I was admitted and treated for four days,” he says. 

Diphtheria outbreak response-Lagos State sensitizes communities on vaccine efficacy

Mrs Ade and her son Kazeem at LUTH recuperating from diphtheria..png

Lagos - Sometime in February, Kazeem Ade, age seven, was recuperating from diphtheria on a hospital bed in the children's ward at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), in Lagos Southwest Nigeria.  

His mother, Mrs Ade, can now smile after enduring a nerve-racking week at the hospital where her son including dozen other children have been receiving treatment for diphtheria – a vaccine-preventable disease that has killed 62 people (mostly children) in the country. 

Namibia Head of State congratulates WHO on its 75th Anniversary

Hon. Hendrick Gaobaeb, Constituency Councilor and Kunene Regional Chairperson, Hon. Dr Kalumbi Shangula, Minister of Health and Social Services and Dr Charles Sagoe-Moses, WHO Representative launching the WHO 75th Anniversary in Opuwo, Kunene Region, 6 April 2023

In a special note on 7 April 2023, His Excellency, Dr Hage Geingob, President of the Republic of Namibia hailed global and national public health achievements of over the past 75 years, attributing this to effective partnership between governments and the World Health Organization. He referred to the groundbreaking work on COVID-19 vaccine development which aided governments in the COVID-19 pandemic control and drastically reduced the number of deaths and new infections globally.

WHO supports Mauritius to conduct national public health risk profiling workshop using the Strategic Toolkit for Assessing Risks (STAR)

National public health risk profiling workshop using the Strategic Toolkit for Assessing Risks (STAR) in February 2023 in Mauritius
Mauritius conducted a national public health risk profiling exercise with participation from key stakeholders and  support from The world Health Organization from 22-25 February to better understand risks and prepare for future emergencies and disasters. The Mauritius Ministry of Health and Wellness (MoHW), the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Command, Ministry of Finance and Planning, Ministry of Agro Industry and Food Security, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, Ministry of Social Security, Ministry of Gender and Inequality, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Tourism, Meteorological Services, the Special Mobile Forces, The Indian Ocean Commission and other stakeholders contributed in the  assessment of public health risk.  Some 40 multisectoral experts, used the WHO Strategic Toolkit for Assessing Risk (STAR) to identify and prioritize the country's public health risks and related necessary preparedness and response actions for the health system.

Ghana launches WHO 75 anniversary celebrations

Minister for Health, Hon. Kwaku Agyeman-Manu supported by WR Dr Kasolo and development partners
Ghana, under the leadership of the Ministry of Health on Friday 14 April 2023 commemorated the 2023 World Health Day, with a launch of the yearlong celebration of the 75 anniversaries of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Early detection remains key in cervical cancer elimination

HPV vaccination camapign

By Vivian Mugarisi

Harare, Zimbabwe - Having been diagnosed with cervical cancer in December 2016, Busi Mawudzi (49), notes that even though “the treatment journey was not a walk in the park”, being diagnosed and getting treatment early made the journey a lot more bearable.