Maiduguri, Nigeria, 13 March 2018—The World Health Organization (WHO) and partners are supporting health authorities to respond to a new cholera outbreak in Borno State. Borno State Ministry of Health has detected more than 500 suspected cases, 23 of which are confirmed by laboratory culture testing including 3 deaths. Authorities declared the outbreak on 8 March.

Juba, 12 March 2018 – The Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries have declared a Rift Valley fever (RVF) outbreak today (12 March) in Yirol East, Yirol West and Awerial Counties of Eastern Lakes State.

Every year globally, 180-200 million women become pregnant with 287,000 of these resulting in maternal deaths. More than 99% of maternal deaths occur in developing countries and 56% of these deaths are in Sub-Saharan Africa, affecting women living in rural areas and among poorer communities.  In Namibia the current estimate of maternal mortality ratio is from the World Health Statistics indicating 265/100,000 per live births. These deaths could be avoided if pregnancy and delivery are attended by skilled health workers at all levels of the health care delivery system.

March 9, 2018

Abuja, 09 March 2018 - The Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH) through the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has inaugurated polio committee with new members. 

Gaborone, Botswana - 09 March 2018: As a key part of the Transformation Agenda of the WHO Regional Office for Africa, country offices are being assessed in relation to their ability to provide the type, quality and level of support in line with the needs and priorities of host countries. Botswana is among the current wave of countries to benefit from the review. A four member multi-disciplinary team has been in Botswana to carry out the review.
 

Abuja, 08 March 2018 - “My five-year-old son started vomiting one the morning and I noticed that his temperature was high. With no money to transport my child to a health facility, I was helpless and ran to my neighbor who immediately called Mrs Ogbajie Precious”.

“Mrs Precious immediately took my child, assessed his condition and assured me that the case was manageable. I have never been happier in my entire life”.

Dar es Salaam, 8 March 2018: International Women’s Day is a time dedicated to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities. The 2018 campaign theme, “#PressforProgress”, highlights the need to be unrelenting in our determination to achieve true gender equality for sustainable socioeconomic development.

Dar es Salaam, 6-8 March 2018: Effective coordination enhances timely responses to Public Health Events (PHEs) and plays a critical role in reducing morbidity and mortality. Moreover, it reduces duplication and competition, and allows different agencies and organizations to complement each other.