Kenya joined the world on March 24 to commemorate World Tuberculosis (TB) Day and to raise and build public awareness about the devastating health, social and economic consequences of TB. The day was also used to step up efforts to end the TB epidemic. The day provides a platform to shine the spotlight on the disease and mobilise social and political commitment to accelerate efforts to end TB.

Abuja, 8th April 2018 - The top hierarchy of the World Health Organization (WHO) will hold its Global Policy Group (GPG) Meeting in Nigeria for the first time from 10-12 April, 2018. 

The GPG consists of the Director-General, Deputy Director-General, six Regional Directors and the Executive Director of the WHO Emergencies Programme. The Group is an internal advisory mechanism to the Director-General (DG), established to ensure the coherent implementation of decisions, policies and strategies of WHO across all levels of the Organization.

6 April 2018, Kampala:- Uganda is slowly but surely moving toward achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) which is the cornerstone for the attainment of Sustainable Development Goal 3 on the global development agenda.  This was the consensus from participants at a high-level breakfast meeting hosted by the World Health Organization Country Office in commemoration of World Health Day 2018 which also marks the 70th birthday of the organization. 

Gaborone, Botswana - 29 March 2018: The University of Botswana (UB) School of Nursing, which has been a WHO Collaborating Centre for Nursing and Midwifery Development (WHOCC) since 1990, has been re-designated with expanded terms of reference for another 4 years. The re-designation occurred after a visit by a WHO AFRO/HQ assessment team visited the centre in conjunction with the WHO country office. The team also held discussions with the Ministry of Health and Wellness in terms of the centre’s potential contribution to health and development in Botswana.

With the protracted crises in South Sudan, the scale and severity of humanitarian situations continues to rise, hence efficient forecasting, procurement, distribution and rational use of WHO emergency health kits is critical to ensure timely delivery of essential emergency health services.

Eritrea launched the National Health Security Action Plan: 2017- 2021 at Asmara Palace on 27 March 2018. The Honorable Minister of Health, Ms Amina Nurhussien, launched the five year National Action Plan for health security.

The Ministry of Health with WHO support organized from 12 to 16 March 2018, a multisectoral workshop on the initial self-evaluation of IHR using the Joint External Evaluation(JEE) tool.

The workshop was opened by Dr Innocent Turate, Head of Department of IHDPC/RBC, who reminded participants that this workshop is a key step for the strategy to achieve the SDG n° 3.d focusing on international public health threats prevention and control.

Maureen (not real name), an HIV+ mother of two, is a Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB) survivor. Her story is similar to many other TB patients who have contracted TB unknowingly. Maureen contracted Tuberculosis (TB) in 2013 while on a bus from Arua to Kampala. “A man seated behind me, in the bus coughed so hard, and the smell of his breath was so bad,” she narrates.