WHO and partners are supporting the Borno State Government to respond to the humanitarian crisis in north-eastern Nigeria, where some 3.7 million people are in urgent need of essential health services. The actual numbers of people requiring life-saving help may be much higher as ongoing insecurity means many areas are still inaccessible.

Abuja, 16 October 2015 - The World Health Organization (WHO) in collaboration with the government, has recently intensified its efforts to reach the most marginalised, hard-to-reach and nomadic communities of the North Central region of the country.

Following the adoption of a blueprint, states of Nasarawa, Niger and Plateau are working assiduously to provide the required health interventions to pastoral nomadic populations in their respective states with a view to boost population immunity and improve disease surveillance. 

On 11 October 2016, WHO in collaboration with the State Ministry of Health delivered emergency medical supplies to an international NGO partner for distribution to facilities in Gwoza Local Government Area (LGA). The supplies are enough to treat 20,000 people for three months.

14 October 2016, Brazzaville/Niamey – The World Health Organization has deployed a team of experts to Niger in an effort to strengthen the coordination of response and stop the spread of the rift valley fever (RVF) that is affecting people and livestock in a district in the north-western part of the country.

On 6 September 2016, the Ministry of Health staff from Haute-Kotto health district alerted the central level of suspected monkeypox cases admitted at Ira Banda health centre. The index case was a hunter who fell ill on 17 August and died in his village without specimens being collected for laboratory testing. Between 4 September and 7 October, 26 cases have been admitted and of these, three have been laboratory confirmed for monkeypox. Epidemiological investigations are currently on-going to evaluate the magnitude of the outbreak.

October 2016 - The polio outbreak response in Nigeria and across the Lake Chad basin is being run within the context of a broader humanitarian emergency response, as north-east Nigeria is classified within WHO as a Grade 3 emergency. But what does this actually mean?

Harare, 11 October 2016  - The call was made by WHO Representative Dr David Okello at the Pharmaceutical Society of Zimbabwe’s Annual Pharmacists’ Indaba. Dr Okello said this policy, which should be well-integrated within the national health policy, is the  first step in the Government's efforts to ensure access to medicines for its population. “Such a policy should also define the regulatory framework for assuring product quality, safety and efficacy, and governance of functional and administrative processes,” said Dr Okello.

Brazzaville/Algiers, 10 October 2016 – Tobacco control experts from the WHO African Region have begun a 4-day meeting in Algiers, Algeria, to review progress in the battle against the devastating consequences of tobacco use.

October 10 2016, Nairobi – The government of Kenya today joined the rest of the world in commemorating this year’s World Mental Health Day under the theme: “Psychological First Aid: Preserving Dignity in crisis response”, at Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi. The event was presided over by the Director of Medical Services (DMS), Dr. Jackson Kioko on behalf of the Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Cleopa Mailu. Also in attendance was the WHO Country Representative, Dr Rudolf Eggers.

Abuja, 07 October 2016 - Worried by the increasing malnutrition cases among children and adolescents girls in Kaduna state, the wife of Kaduna state Governor Hajiya Ummi El Rufai has sought for the assistance of World Health Organisation (WHO) to tackle the rising cases of malnutrition in the state.