Fighting female genital mutilation in Ethiopia: a passion born of personal pain

Fighting female genital mutilation in Ethiopia: a passion born of personal pain

Meemuna Sadam* is a public health expert in the Somali Region in Ethiopia. Together with her colleagues, she raises awareness and provides education on female genital mutilation (FGM) to communities and also conducts advocacy actions targeting religious leaders. 

Meemuna is also a victim of FGM. “I was only six years old when they cut and sewed me up. The pain was unbearable; I still remember the fear, pain and abandonment I felt.” In the Somali region of Ethiopia, girls usually experience FGM between the ages of 5-10 years. 

Mulikat Okanlawon, Noma survivor

Mulikat Okanlawon, Noma survivor
Mulikat Okanlawan works as a hygiene officer at the Sokoto Noma Children’s Hospital in the northern corner of Nigeria.

Edo State intensifies coordinated response to contain spread of monkeypox disease

A patient with monkeypox attended to by a health worker.jpg

Benin, 9 August, 2022 - After four days of complaining of fever, headache, fatigue and cough, 40 years old Mr V Ehosa (not real name), a land seller residing in Benin, Edo State, tested positive for monkeypox. 

Mr Ehosa got admitted to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Edo State, four days after he presented at the hospital with symptoms such as unusual body rashes, fever, and headache.   

L’OMS appuie la formation de 136 nouveaux Pharmaciens et Préparateurs Gestionnaires en Pharmacie (PGP), sur la chaîne d’approvisionnement des produits de santé en Côte d’Ivoire.

Remise d'attestation par Dr Zombré de l'OMS Côte d'Ivoire
Nouvellement recrutés par le Ministère de la Santé, de l’Hygiène Publique et de la Couverture Maladie Universelle (MSHP-CMU), 136 Pharmaciens et Préparateurs Gestionnaires en Pharmacie (PGP), ont été formés sur la chaîne d’approvisionnement des produits de santé en Côte d’Ivoire. Cette formation, qui s’est déroulée du 18 juillet au 05 août 2022 à Abidjan, a bénéficié de l’appui financier de l’OMS dans le cadre d’un co-financement avec le Fonds mondial pour la lutte contre le VIH, la tuberculose et le paludisme.

Sierra Leone becomes 38th country with tobacco control laws in WHO African Region

No tobacco
Sierra Leone is now the newest of 38 countries in the WHO African region to have enacted a bill into law to protect its population against the harmful effects of tobacco and nicotine products. The Tobacco and Nicotine Control Act of 2022 was unanimously passed into law on 3 August 2022 by the country’s law makers

Healthy life expectancy in Africa rises by almost ten years

Healthy life expectancy in Africa rises by almost ten years
Healthy life expectancy in the African region has increased on average by 10 years per person between 2000 and 2019, a World Health Organization (WHO) assessment reports. This rise is greater than in any other region of the world during the same period. The report also notes that the disruptive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic could threaten these huge gains.

Adamawa State strengthens awareness campaign on Monkeypox

Providing interpersonal health risk messaging to Adamawa resident on Monkey pox and covid-19 vaccination

Yola, 3 August, 2022 - As the threat of monkeypox looms globally, public health authorities in Adamawa state have intensified awareness campaigns to control the ongoing outbreak in Nigeria. 

The State Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), has initiated a sensitization campaign through WHO-trained community health educators (champions) to increase the awareness of the disease amongst residents of the state.