Lusaka, 15th November 2016 - The WHO Country Office in collaboration with the Ministry of Health conducted a training workshop for orientation of health staff heading health institutions in the clinical management of Gender Based Violence (GBV) survivors using a multi-sectoral approach. The workshop took place from 31 October to 4 November 2016 in Lilayi, Chilanga District. A total of  42  participants were in attendance. These included District Medical Officers, Senior Medical Superintendents, Medical Officers and Heads of Clinical Care.

9 November 2016, Juba, South Sudan - The Minister of Health, Hon. Dr Riek Gai Kok, the Undersecretary, Dr Makur Matur Kariom; and all the Directors General of the Ministry of Health paid a professional courtesy visit to the World Health Organization Country Office (WHO CO) in Juba South Sudan. This is the first ever visit by the Minister to the WHO CO.

14 November 2016 – On Friday, at the landmark West African Regional Conference on One Health in Dakar, Senegal, ministers of health, agriculture and wildlife renewed their commitment to working together to prevent and respond early to public health threats across West Africa. The collaboration comes as the region approaches the three year mark since the first Ebola case in the recent outbreak.

Lusaka, 14 November 2016 - The WHO Country Office in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Community Development and Social Welfare and the University of Zambia  organized a workshop for orientation of government ministries and other stakeholders on implementation of Health in All Policies (HiAP) from 30th October to 4th November 2016. In order to support the implementation of HiAP by member countries, WHO launched a series of trainer of trainers’ program in different regions in the year 2015.

Suspected Measles cases continue to spur across IDPs camps spite ongoing routine immunization activities. As part of a phase I measles campaign, Borno State Ministry of Health and partners conducted reactive measles vaccination in three camps: Muna Garage, Custom House and Fariya informal camp.

The total vaccinated children aged 6 months to 15 years was 13,537 with vaccination coverage of 98.2%.

Reactive measles vaccination campaigns are ongoing targeting 16 camps in MMC and Jere LGAs.

Eritrea observed the World Diabetes Day 2016 at Cinema Roma on the 12 November 2016 in Asmara under the theme “Eyes on Diabetes”. The ceremony began with students parade from Bahtimeske to Cinema Roma with banners and caps featuring key messages of the day.

WHO has delivered two IEHKs (Interagency Emergency Health Kits) to the Maiduguri State Specialist Hospital and one IEHK to the Umaru Sehu Hospital in Maiduguri. Each kit contains essential medicines and medical supplies to treat 10,000 people for three months.

Malaria and Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) modules were also provided as part of these kits.

Moreover, WHO delivered 15,500 Malaria RDTs to the Malaria Control Unit of the Borno State Ministry of Health.

Francistown, Botswana, 11 November 2016 -  Botswana National TB Program held Training of Trainers Workshop, in collaboration with the City of Francistown, with the objective of building a network of trainers that are skilled in training methodologies meant to improve TB Programme performance outcomes. These trainers will in turn capacitate District Health Care workers on TB management. This was necessitated by the changing landscape of TB and attrition of current trainers.

Thirty-four Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) Managers from fifteen Anglophone countries attended a two weeks (10-21 October, 2016) WHO AFRO Mid-Level Managers Training Course in Pretoria, South Africa. Participants were trained on 16 revised WHO AFRO EPI modules.

The WHO 2016 sponsored CNN Multichoice Best African Health and Medical Journalism award has been won by Ms Veronica Narkwor-Kwabla, of Tv3 Network, Ghana, for her documentary Ebola Orphans.   According to the judging panel, her documentary filed from Liberia and Sierra Leone shone a light on some of the ostracized children who are seeking new families. The question she examined was how the two countries will recover from the crisis that crippled health care systems, families and businesses.