Ethiopia News

In Amhara region, Ethiopia, where communities have long battled the harsh impacts of drought and disease outbreaks, a transformative initiative has taken root. It began with a coalition of global health partners—World Health Organization, European Commission Humanitarian Aid, the United States Agency for International Development, and the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund —joining hands with local authorities to address a pressing issue: acute malnutrition among children.

Since November 2021, in Amhara region of Ethiopia has faced a severe humanitarian crisis. This crisis is driven by internal armed conflict, multiple disease outbreaks, and the adverse effects of climate change, leading to both drought and floods. The situation has further deteriorated with an upsurge of cross-border influx due to conflict in the neighboring Sudan.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has donated five motorbikes to support Guinea worm disease surveillance and elimination activities in Ethiopia's Gambella region. These motorbikes will be used to intensify efforts in the endemic districts of Gog and Abobo woredas.

The handover ceremony, held on Thursday, June 20th, 2024, at the regional Health Bureau, highlighted WHO Ethiopia's ongoing commitment to eliminating Guinea worm and other neglected tropical diseases.

Renewed Collaboration to Achieve Eradication

Two rounds of polio vaccination campaigns were conducted using novel Oral Polio Vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) in Tigray region of Ethiopia to prevent transmission and circulation of variant polio viruses. Round one campaign was conducted from 23 - 28 April 2024 in 79 accessible woredas, while second round was from 10 - 15 June 2024 followed by a mop-up vaccination for two days.

World Health Organization (WHO) Ethiopia Office supported the catchup activities as part of the 2024 African Vaccination Week (AVW) implementation with a motto “Attention to zero doze and under vaccinated children”. Nearly an estimated 194,246 zero dose children were identified from the IDPs community in five regions of Ethiopia including Amhara, Tigray, Somali, Oromia and Afar region.

In response to the pressing mental health needs caused by the ongoing conflict and drought in Northern Ethiopia, the Government of Japan, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), supported task shifting mental health service provision capacity building training for primary care workers.  The Government of Japan has generously supported the mhGAP Humanitarian Intervention Guide (HIG) Training of Trainers (TOT) program held in Bahir Dar, Amhara Region, from June 3-7, 2024.

Overview

The Health Resources and Services Availability Monitoring System (HeRAMS) aims to provide decision-makers and health stakeholders at large with vital and up-to-date information on the availability of essential health resources and services, help them identify gaps, and determine priorities for intervention. 

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia—The WHO Africa Regional Office (WHO AFRO) in collaboration with WHO Headquarters and WHO Ethiopia,  hosted the first regional workshop on preventing and responding to sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (PRSEAH). The three-day event, held from May 15 to 17, brought together 79 participants from 47 African countries to evaluate achievements from the last biennium, discuss challenges, and explore innovative actions related to PRSEAH.

In the face of health crises, timely and coordinated responses are imperative to safeguard communities from the devastating effects of outbreaks. The recent Acute Diarrhoea  Disease in Adigrat, Ethiopia, underscored the critical role of proactive measures and collaborative efforts in containing infectious diseases.