10 May 2017

On 25 April 2017, the Ministry of Health of Liberia notified WHO and partners of a cluster of sudden deaths of unknown aetiology in Sinoe County. The event began on 23 April 2017 when an 11-year-old child was admitted to hospital presenting with diarrhoea, vomiting and mental confusion after attending a funeral on 22 April 2017.

As of 9 May 2017, a total of 31 cases including 13 deaths have been reported.

KINSHASA, 13 May 2017 - The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti today visited Kinshasa (DR Congo) to discuss with national authorities and partners ways to mount a rapid, effective and coherent response in order to stop the ongoing Ebola outbreak.

Juba, 10 May 2017 - Despite intense insecurity, WHO and partners have delivered urgently needed supplies and services  as part of the UN convoy to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Lainya, South Sudan where the situation has deteriorated as a result of the conflict.

13 May 2017

On 9 May 2017, WHO was informed of a cluster of undiagnosed illness and deaths including haemorrhagic symptoms in Likati Health Zone, Bas Uele Province in the north of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), bordering Central African Republic. Since 22 April, nine cases including three deaths have been reported. Six cases are currently hospitalized.

Calabar, 10 May 2017- The World Health Organization (WHO) and other development partners are calling for the reinforcement  of global best practices in the training and recruitment of midwives across Nigeria to fast-track efforts aimed at reducing maternal and newborn mortality.

12 May - Mbabane: The Kingdom of Swaziland joined the rest of Africa in commemorating the 7th Africa Vaccination Week (AVW) under the theme “Vaccines Protect Everyone, Get Vaccinated”. The week long commemoration was launched by the Honourable Minister of Health, Senator Sibongile Ndlela-Simelane represented by the Deputy Director of Health Services, Ms Rejoice Nkambule. The launch was held in Hosea Inkhundla, a “hard to reach” area in the Shiselweni Region.

The Minister of Public Health of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Dr Oly Ilunga Kalenga, has informed the World Health Organization (WHO) of “an outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD)” in Likati health district (Aketi, Bas-Uélé province), more than 1300 kilometres from Kinshasa in the northern DRC, following confirmation of the disease by the National Biomedical Research Institute (INRB), the national reference laboratory.

Uganda is hosting a five-day Outbreak Response Simulation Exercise Management Training with support from the World Health Organization (WHO). The course, designed for staff of the Ministries of Health and WHO country offices is aimed at building their capacity to prepare for and effectively respond to public health emergencies. 

Abuja, 11 May 2017- Wary of the threats of increased incidence of malaria cases in the northeast region of Nigeria, the World Health Organization (WHO) is leaving no stone unturned in scaling up interventions in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states as the rainy season sets in. The three states are those mostly affected by insurgency, which has led to significant displacement of people and left the affected states’ health system and social infrastructure weakened. 

The Ministry of Health and Sanitation is in the process of migrating disease surveillance reporting from a cumbersome paper-based system to a web-based electronic platform (e-IDSR) for real-time information flows. The process is part of the revitalisation of disease surveillance and response in Sierra Leone supported by WHO in partnership with the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and e-Health Africa.