Training journalists on road safety reporting

Facilitator supporting participants during the training

29 May 2018, Dar es Salaam: The 2015 World Health Organization’s Global Status Report on Road Safety reveals that around 1.2 million are killed and 50 million are injured in road crashes.Most deaths occur in LMICs (Low income and middle-income countries) like the Tanzania. 

WHO supports improved diagnostic capacity to fast-track Lassa fever control 

Trained technician at National Reference Laboratory Centre –Gaduwa, Abuja | NCDC/WHO

Abuja, 17 July, 2018 - The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and other partners, have successfully contained the unprecedented Lassa fever outbreak that claimed the lives of 115 Nigerians (as at 07 July, 2018). 

The feat is the result of combined interventions, especially the strengthening of specialised laboratories and isolation centres within health facilities. These efforts culminated into improved diagnostic capacities and patient outcomes, including better response to treatment. 

WHO donates Emergency Reproductive Health Kits to the Ghana Health Service

Dr Kaluwa presenting items to the Director General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr Anthony Nsiah-Asare

WHO Ghana has donated to the Ghana Health Service, Emergency Reproductive Health Kits (clean delivery kits). The kits are worth over GHS 800 000 and can service about 10 000 women for a period of three months.

In a brief handing over ceremony, the WHO Country Representative, Dr Owen Kaluwa mentioned that the emergency kits where originally prepositioned in Ghana for emergencies and have been in store for some time now.  However, considering the lifespan of some of the items, permission has been granted by AFRO to hand over the kits to the Service.

WHO prepositions medical kits to support disaster risk management in Gedeo Zone of Ethiopia

WHO Ethiopia delivers medical supplies to respond to IDP situation in Gedeo Zone, SNNPR, Ethiopia
On 12 July 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) country office in Ethiopia delivered 50 basic Inter-agency Emergency Health Kits (IEHK) of drugs and medical supplies, six IEHK supplementary kits and five IEHK renewable kits containing gloves, needles, syringes and intravenous fluid sets to the Gedeo Health Department in Dilla town of Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNPR) Ethiopia to support the zone in its response to the health needs of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) that it is hosting.  The medical supplies and drugs in the 50 basic Inter-Agency Emergency Health Kits (IEHK) will help treat 50 000 people for three months, the six IEHK supplementary kits have medical supplies and drugs to help treat 60 000 people for three months and the five IEHK renewable kits will support the treatment of 50 000 people for three months.   The supplies were delivered during the WHO Representative Dr Akpaka Kalu’s visit to the zone to assess the situation on the ground and meet with zonal and woreda health administration to discuss priority areas that the organization can support with to address the immediate health needs of the more than 800 000 IDPs sheltered in different locations in the zone.  

Rising cases of sickle cell disease prompts calls for urgent action

Dr Moeti speaking at the opening ceremony of the Congress of the African Society of Hematology

Brazzaville, 12 July 2018 - The WHO Regional Director for Africa Dr Matshidiso Moeti has called for more investment, stronger collaboration and partnerships to stem the tide of the rising cases of sickle cell disease in Africa. Dr Moeti was speaking at the opening ceremony of the Congress of the African Society of Hematology which opened today in Brazzaville, Congo.
“Our States alone, without the precious support of partners, will not be able to cope with information, communication, education, screening, case management and also basic research in this field.  

Borno targets more than 1 million children with anti-malaria therapy. 

 Eligible child being administered with  anti-malaria drug during 2017 SMC campaign in Borno state. Photo credit: WHO/CE.Onuekwe

Maiduguri, 13 July 2018 - With the support of World Health Organization (WHO) and partners, Borno State Ministry of Health plans to reach more than 1.1 million children aged three to 59 months with anti-malaria therapy in 13 local government areas (LGAs), including security compromised Mobbar, Ngala, and Monguno. From 14 – 17 July 2018, anti-malaria drug administrators will be visiting households to administer the first dose of the 4-cycle campaign, which aims to mitigate against increased cases and deaths during the 2018 peak transmission period in the state.