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Juba, 30 April 2024 - This year, as the world commemorates World Immunization Week from April 24 to April 30, South Sudan joins the global community in celebrating the monumental 50th anniversary of the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI). This milestone highlights the transformative power of vaccines, which have significantly decreased child mortality rates globally. They lead to elevated health standards by reducing or eradicating the prevalence of critical diseases, such as eradicating smallpox and reducing the wild poliovirus to two countries.

Mapangano Jeremiah, a truck driver from Nkope in Mangochi, crisscrosses the borders of Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and South Africa as part of his work. Recently, he received his third Covid-19 vaccine during the recent nationwide vaccination campaign supported by the WHO in February 2024. Having experienced the devastating effects of the Covid-19 pandemic firsthand, Mapangano reflects on the loss of many friends and the profound impact it had on his life.

The recently designated World Health Organization (WHO) Representative to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Dr. Owen Laws Kaluwa, formally presented his credentials to H.E. Melaku Bedada, Director General of Protocol Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, marking the official commencement of his tenure in Ethiopia.

Offering a warm reception to Dr. Kaluwa, the Director General, H.E. Melaku Bedada, expressed deep appreciation for WHO's strong commitment in deploying expertise and resources towards attainment of universal health coverage in Ethiopia.

On 25 April 2024, six-month-old Zainab Conteh became the first child in Sierra Leone to receive the WHO-approved malaria vaccine, during the campaign launch at the State House in Freetown. This marked the beginning of a significant public health milestone in Sierra Leone's fight against malaria.

Addis Ababa ‒ Fourteen-year-old girl Saba. D. (name changed), from Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, has just received her first and final dose of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, which protects against cervical cancer. This cancer is the second most common cancer among women in Ethiopia after breast cancer and each year significant number of women die from it.

Dar es Salaam – Health experts from across Africa, policymakers, civil society organizations and partners meeting for the first-ever conference on strengthening efforts to address the burden of severe chronic disease have called for increased recognition of the emergency presented by noncommunicable diseases and the premature deaths they cause.

Over 4000 women, children and vulnerable communities received access to essential health care services through a targeted outreach programme in Kunene and Omaheke regions thanks to the generous support of the Government of Japan to WHO Namibia and the Ministry of Health and Social Services.  The outreach program spanned over a 12-month period and aimed to increase access to quality health care for vulnerable populations through enhanced outreach health services to reduce preventable deaths and inequities in affected regions and communities.
 

Ethiopia is facing one of its most severe humanitarian crises in recent history, with millions of lives at risk due to widespread hunger, disease outbreaks, conflict, and climate-related challenges. As the situation continues to deteriorate, urgent action is needed to prevent further suffering and loss of life.