News Releases

Africa is facing a growing risk of outbreaks caused by zoonotic pathogens, such as the monkeypox virus which originated in animals and then switched species and infected humans. There has been a 63% increase in the number of zoonotic outbreaks in the region in the decade from 2012-2022 compared to 2001-2011, according to World Health Organization (WHO) analysis.

Mozambique today kicked off the third round of vaccination against wild poliovirus type 1 as southern Africa countries launch a further drive to protect all under 5 children and halt the debilitating virus from spreading. Neighbouring Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia will also embark on the third phase of mass vaccination campaigns in the coming weeks.

Ghana has announced the preliminary finding of two cases of Marburg virus disease and if confirmed these would the first such infections recorded in the country. Marburg is a highly infectious viral haemorrhagic fever in the same family as the more well-known Ebola virus disease. 

The Democratic Republic of the Congo today declared the end of the Ebola outbreak that erupted less than three months ago in Mbandaka, the capital of Equateur Province in the northwest. It was the third outbreak in the province since 2018 and the country’s 14th overall.

With three African countries with no previous history of human monkeypox transmission reporting cases, World Health Organization (WHO) is working with national health authorities in the region to bolster surveillance and laboratory diagnosis to detect cases and deter a silent spread of the virus.

World Health Organization (WHO) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today announced plans to set up a mentorship programme for African women working in neglected tropical diseases programmes. The mentorship is in honour of the late Dr Mwele Malecela, who was one of Africa’s most highly respected female scientists and public health leaders.

A serious shortage of health workers in Africa is undermining access to and provision of health services even though countries in the region have made efforts to bolster the workforce, a new World Health Organization (WHO) study finds.

Africa is intensifying COVID-19 vaccination of high-risk population groups with some promising signs. Nearly 50% of health workers and people over the age of 60 are fully vaccinated against the virus in countries reporting data to World Health Organization (WHO).

Brazzaville – The World Health Organization (WHO) welcomes the continental drive to strengthen the architecture of pandemic preparedness and response in Africa. This is critical for protecting and saving African lives as evidenced by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

WHO fully supports the ongoing process led by the Africa Union to strengthen the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and applauds its elevation to an autonomous body.

COVID-19 deaths in the African region are expected to decline by almost 94% in 2022, compared with 2021 which was the pandemic’s most lethal year, a new modelling by World Health Organization (WHO) finds. This comes while cases are estimated to drop by a little over a quarter this year.