Polio infrastructure remains crucial for mounting initial response to disease outbreaks in Nigeria

Polio teams going to hard-to-reach community to provide essential health services during cholera outbreak in Yobe state

Abuja, 23 October, 2018 - “My phone rang on 22 August. The familiar voice on the other side sounded anxious. It was the local government area Director of Health who said ‘Dr Halima, we need you to come down to the clinic and support us immediately’. With over 10 years working on polio eradication, I realized that another call to duty beckons,” says Dr Halima Isa, an environment health officer supporting in active case search for polio, cholera and other emergency cases in the North East. 

WHO calls for Strengthened Infection Prevention and Control in Countries

Ministry of Health and WHO officials in attendance at the workshop

Kampala, 23 October 2018:- There is an urgent need for countries to strengthen regional and national capacity in the areas of Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) given the ever increasing number of infectious disease outbreaks in many parts of the world.

This need was emphasized by the World Health Organization (WHO) at a three-day workshop currently going in Munyonyo, Kampala hosted by the organization’s Tackling Deadly Disease in Africa Program (TDDAP) supported by UK’s Department for International Development (DFID).

EVD Preparedness and Response in Rwanda

EVD Rapid Response Training in Kigali

The current outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) poses a high risk of introduction into neighboring countries including Rwanda. An Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is likely spread over tens of kilometers.

Zimbabwe commemorates World Mental Health Day

Honorable MP for Norton, Temba Mliswa dancing with some of the psychiatric patients during the launch

Norton, 16 Oct. 2018.  Zimbabwe commemorated a belated World Mental Health Day at St Padre Pio Clinic in Norton, in an event that brought together players in mental health, support groups for people with mental health issues, and some patients from Harare Central Hospital Psychiatric Unit. This year’s Mental Health Day was launched under the theme; Mental health and young people in a changing world which focuses on helping young people to be resilient in the face of life changes.

Ghana launches a nationwide campaign to fight Measles-Rubella

Dr Owen Kaluwa delivering a statement at the function

The Ghana Health Service (GHS) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Health Partners have launched a six-day national Measles-Rubella vaccination and Vitamin A supplement campaign to improve the general health and survival of Ghanaian children, under the theme, “Measles-Rubella Kills; Vaccinate Your Child Now for Good Life”.
The campaign, aimed at ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all ages to help reduce the number of measles-rubella cases in the country.

Liberia Commemorates World Rabies Day

Cross session of representatives from various institutions during the commemoration of the World Rabies Day in Monrovia

A dog owner her dogs to a vaccination site during the commemoration of World Rabies Day in New Kru TownLiberia joined the rest of the global community in observance of World Rabies Day under the theme “Rabies: Share the Message, Safe a Life”. The theme highlighted the importance of creating awareness on preventing rabies across the world.

WHO is using strategic approaches to provide lifesaving health and nutrition services in hard to reach areas of South Sudan

MMT providing supportive supervision during the  measles campaign in Malek - Yirol East

13 October 2018, Juba – In an effort to provide quality emergency health services including basic package of health and nutrition services, WHO is implementing an integrated health, nutrition and WASH services to save the lives of populations at risk.

To reach people with virtually no health, WHO deployed the mobile medical team (MMT) to priority locations across the country to provide and contribute to quality emergency health services including basic package of health and nutrition services in a prompt and effective manner to populations at risk.

World Mental Health Day 2018: The adverse effect of technologies on Mental Health

Dr Musango highlighting the fact that ‘the harmful use of alcohol and illicit drugs among adolescents contributes to risky behaviours such as violence, unsafe sex and dangerous driving’
The World Mental Health Day was marked on 10 October 2018 at the Brown Sequard Mental Health Care Centre in Mauritius in the presence of Dr Hon Anwar Husnoo, Minister of Health and Quality of Life, Dr Myriam Timol, Acting Director General Public Health Services, Dr Laurent Musango, WHO Representative in Mauritius, Dr Nawoor, Regional Director of Jeetoo Hospital and Dr Ameenah Soreefan, Consultant in Charge (Psychiatry).  The quality of the cultural programme presented by the patients and staff of the Mental Health Care Centre as well as the exhibition cum sale of creative handmade crafts of the patients from the Occupational Therapy Department captured the attention and interest of all those present. Dr Hon. A. Husnoo, in his address, explained that ‘mental health is a state of wellbeing that we need to have in order to operate in our daily life, it enable us to do things, work and contribute to the society’.   He pointed out that there is no health in the absence of mental health.  The Health Minister added that people should be changed their attitudes towards people suffering from mental health problems.  He added that ‘very often, mental health problems are associated with changes in society, changes in work conditions, discrimination towards women, social exclusion, unhealthy lifestyle, violence, diseases, drug or alcohol  addiction and unemployment.’