On 10th October, Rwanda joined other countries all over the World to celebrate the World Mental Health Day under the theme: “Mental Health in the workplace”. The Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Service and Labour and other Partners including WHO, organized in Kigali a national one day Symposium which gathered representatives of employers and employees from the Public and Private Sectors and mental health specialists.

Kuwait City, 24 October 2017 - Efforts to control and eliminate Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) in African countries got a major boost this week, with the announcement of a $4 million donation from the Kuwait Fund.

The announcement was made at a Donors’ meeting on how to end NTDs, hosted by the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) and the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa.

NTDs are a diverse group of communicable diseases that prevail in tropical and subtropical conditions.

Joint Statement on World Polio Day

24 October 2017, Addis Ababa: Today, as the world commemorates World Polio Day we, the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and Rotary International, reaffirm our commitment to building on the success of our joint polio eradication efforts and sustaining the polio free status of the country.

FREETOWN, 23 October 2017 --- In Sierra Leone, giving birth is one of the most dangerous times in a woman’s life. According to the most recent UN estimates, the country has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, at 1,360 deaths per 100,000 live births (UN, 2015). In simpler terms, this means that for every 100 babies born in the country, approximately one woman will lose her life. The nation also has high rates of neonatal deaths, and over 7,500 stillbirths are estimated to occur each year (WHO, 2013). 

Following the confirmation of a case of Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) in Kween district Eastern Uganda by Ministry of Health (MoH) and the activation of the National Response Team, the WHO Rapid Response team from the country office was able to reach the epicentre within 48 hours and is currently supporting national and district authorities to contain the outbreak. 

October 24, 2017:  Kenya marks World Polio Day with a great sense relief and determination to keep the country polio free. Following a Wild Polio Virus outbreak in 2013 after an importation, health teams from Ministry of Health traversed the country to its farthest corners and most inaccessible areas with support from WHO, and other partners to do supplementary immunization activities - polio campaigns. These were done from house to house covering children aged five and below, vastly reducing any threats of the wild polio virus.

The WHO Representative, a.i. Dr. Custodia Mandlhate has called for strengthening of laboratory systems in the country. During her familiarization tour of the laboratories at the University Teaching Hospital on 20 October 2016, Dr. Mandlhate said that efficient and reliable laboratory services and networks were essential and fundamental components of effective, well-functioning health systems.

Abuja, 23 October 2017-Together, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo account for over 40 per cent of the global malaria illnesses and deaths. Children under the age of five are particularly vulnerable. Malaria, pneumonia and diarrhoea, which are preventable and curable, are responsible for about one third of child deaths.