Nairobi, 15 April 2004 -- African countries have been urged to prioritize oral health and increase budgetary allocations to their oral health programmes. Making the call Wednesday in Nairobi at the start of a three-day conference on oral health in Africa, Kenya's Health Minister, Mrs Charity Ngilu, said, "the problem (posed by oral diseases in Africa) is compounded by the fact that budgetary allocations to oral health programmes have been minimal."

13 April 2004, Kampala -- The out-going WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Ebrahim M. Samba has advised whoever takes over from to continue the "hard work, be credible, transparent and confident". He said this early April in Uganda while attending the International Summit on Nutrition and Food Security.

Brazzaville (Congo), Ferney Voltaire (France), 8 April 2004 -- General development as well as health and oral health indicators in the African region are among the lowest in the world. Oral diseases such as dental caries, oral cancer, periodontal disease and Noma, among others, impact significantly on general health, yet these do not feature prominently enough on the media and political agendas of most countries in Africa. 

Brazzaville, 6 April 2004 -- The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Ebrahim Samba, has appealed to Member States to institute concrete measures aimed at reducing road traffic injuries.

Johannesburg, 30 March 2004 -- The World Health Organization (WHO) has welcomed the South African government's commitment to African Traditional Medicine in the health care delivery system.

Speaking on Tuesday at the African Traditional Medicine Conference in Johannesburg , WHO country representative, Dr Welile Shasha, said that official recognition and respect of traditional medicine was the right step towards integration into national health systems and services.

17 March 2004, Ethiopia -- A high-level expert group set up by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the African Union (AU) is to meet in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 2 April to examine the high rates of maternal and newborn death in Africa and make recommendations to the AU on how to halt and reverse the trend.

This emerged during a meeting recently in Addis Ababa between the WHO Regional Director for Africa Dr. Ebrahim M. Samba and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mr. Alpha Oumar Konare.

Harare, 19 February 2004 -- Experts from various international agencies and Non Governmental Organizations attending a meeting on maternal and neonatal death reduction in Harare ended their deliberations on Wednesday with the development of a road map aimed at accelerating progress to reduce maternal and newborn morbidity and mortality in the African Region.

Harare, 18 February 2004 -- Neonatal morbidity and mortality rates in the African Region, currently estimated at 45 deaths per 1,000 live births, are among the highest in the world, and contribute about 50% of the infant mortality rate in the Region, according to a WHO-sponsored study made available at a regional workshop on improving maternal and neonatal health in Harare, Zimbabwe.

Harare, 17 February 2004 -- A greater involvement of men in caring for their spouses during pregnancy, basic education, improved health systems and the use of skilled birth attendants are key to reducing maternal and newborn mortality in Africa.

Harare, 17 February 2004 -- An African expert on reproductive health on Monday in Harare painted a grim picture of maternal and child health in the Region and warned that the situation could worsen in the next decade if no immediate remedial actions were taken by Africa's governments and development partners.