South Africa News

WHO supported the National Department of Health in the national plan to introduce Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination among girls in Grade 4 (9 years and above) in public schools.  Among the many joint activities carried out included an assessment to provide on the ground support, identify gaps in planning and high risk factors timely enough to allow remedial action and ensure success. The assessment was carried out from 18 to 27 February in all South Africa’s nine provinces. The NDOH launched the HPV vaccination campaign nationwide in Bloemfontein on March 12, 2014.

The World Health Organization South Africa Country Office (WCO) commissioned study on alcohol affordability and the impact of excise taxes on alcohol consumption in South Africa. The purpose of the study was to increase the evidence base for, and support the development of, country level policies on the reduction of harms related to alcohol consumption.  The report focuses on the fiscal aspects related to alcohol policy in South Africa.

The World Health Organisation is currently working with the National Department of Health and key stakeholders in planning the following: 

Commemoration of Africa Vaccination Week (AVW) 2013 in April. The goal of the AVW in SA is to increase the awareness of the benefits of the second dose of measles vaccination at 18 months among health care workers, parents and caregivers. WHO is a member of the AVM 2014 Coordination Team, is involved in AVW planning and has assisted in drafting a related concept note.

Another study was commissioned by the WCO on Alcohol Advertising Trends in South Africa to provide empirical data to inform public health policies. The study found that total alcohol advertising expenditure increased from around R550 million per year between 1997 and 2003, to more than R1.7 billion in 2011 and 2012. Total alcohol advertising represents 4.4% of total advertisements, and it is increasingly focusing on new media and new products (such as ciders and flavored alcoholic beverages) that are popular among youth.

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa | 03 April 2014 - “Impressive strides have been made in the implementation of HIV, TB and PMTCT programme since the last reviews were conducted in 2009” is the highlight of the message delivered on behalf of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa, Dr Luis Sambo by the Director of Disease Prevention and Control, WHO Regional Office for Africa, Dr Francis Kasolo. This statement was made at the handover ceremony of a report of the first ever Joint HIV, TB and PMTCT Review. 

Mr Michael Tukuru has recently been reassigned to WCO South Africa as the Operations Officer effective 26 May 2014. Previous to this assignment, he has spent the last 5 years in the Regional Office in Brazzaville Congo occupying different positions including Administrative Officer, EPR/IDS Programmes, and Manager of the Management Support unit for the DPC Cluster and subsequently the HPR/HSS Clusters. Prior to his work in Brazzaville, he spent 9 years in WCO Nigeria leaving as the Finance Officer.

The Health Accounts Teams Members from 12 countries that are in the process of undertaking a health accounts exercise and taking steps to institutionalize the process have completed a WHO training on System of Health Accounts (SHA) that took place from 26 – 30 May 2014, Johannesburg, South Africa. The participating countries were Botswana, Kenya, Lesotho, Namibia, Nigeria, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Swaziland, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.

WHO AFRO and WHO Rotavirus Regional Reference Laboratory for Africa at Medunsa Campus, Pretoria, partnered to carry out the 14th African Rotavirus Network Training Workshop at the University of Limpopo, Medunsa campus, just completed on 6 June.

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has officially released a report on Pricing and competition in specialist medical services on a seminar organized by the WHO South Africa on Tuesday 17 June 2014. This paper argues that South Africa should separate the task of establishing a schedule of medical services from negotiations over overall payments to medical professionals.

30 June 2014 -- Immunization averts some 2.5 million premature deaths a year according to estimates and protects millions of children from illness and disability. Parents and children attending a South African clinic are among those today who will reap the benefits of routine immunization from the first days of life.