Ethiopia News

Ebola Preparedness Continues in Ethiopia

The ongoing epidemic of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in West Africa poses considerable risk to currently unaffected countries, including Ethiopia. To support currently unaffected countries with strengthening their preparedness for an introduction of EVD, WHO and partners are accelerating Ebola preparedness activities, such as the development of a preparedness checklist outlining the key components and tasks of an Ebola response. 

No Child Left Behind – Task Force on Immunization Urges the African Region to Streng...

ADDIS ABABA | 3 June - The Task Force on Immunization (TFI) met in Ethiopia from 30 June to 1 July to review the progress made in improving immunization in the African region and to strategize for the future. The TFI is the principal technical advisory group to the World Health Organization’s Regional Office for Africa (WHO AFRO) on overall regional policies and strategies related to vaccines and immunization.

The two day meeting was attended by several Global EPI partners and the Federal Ministry of Health of Ethiopia.

New Guinea Worm Case Confirmed in Ethiopia

A new Dracunculiasis (commonly known as Guinea Worm Disease) case has been confirmed in Ethiopia. The third case of 2014 was reported on 2 December from Gog district in Gambella Region, southwest Ethiopia. Aggressive interventions, such as abating of ponds, were immediately taken to prevent other villagers from getting the disease.

Ethiopia takes part in Congenital Rubella Syndrome (CRS) surveillance training

Congenital Rubella Syndrome (CRS) surveillance training and experience sharing workshop was held in Harare, Zimbabwe from 17-19 June 2015. The participants came from 11 African countries, including Ethiopia. The workshop was facilitated by WHO's Inter Country Support Team of Eastern and Southern Africa (IST/ESA) and the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Somali Region Intensifies HIV Prevention Efforts

The fourth Ethiopian HIV/AIDS Prevention Summit, held in Jigjiga, capital of the Somali Regional state of Ethiopia, 29-30 December 2014, drew attention to the concerning rise in HIV prevalence in the region. HIV prevalence has increased to 1,1% in 2014 from 0,7% in 2011. The national HIV/AIDS prevention summit called for intensified HIV response efforts in the region and the entire country. 

Evaluation team confirms that rotavirus vaccine introduction improved Ethiopia's EPI...

The post introduction evaluation of the rotavirus vaccine was conducted in Ethiopia 15-27 June 2015. The purpose of the evaluation was to assess how the introduction of rotavirus vaccine in 2013 impacted the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) and provide recommendations for improvement. Furthermore, it drew lessons from the rotavirus introduction to inform planning process for the introduction of other new vaccines.