Increasing reports of communicable diseases and presence of a large number of refugees from south Sudan heightened the need for  strengthened public health emergency preparedness  and response  in Gembella Region.

“WHO commits again as a partner to ensure working together to improve  the health situation of people of Gambella and hundred thousands of refugees from South Sudan” said Dr. Pierre M’Pele-Kilebou, WHO Representative to Ethiopia as he handed over Emergency Health Kits to Gambella  Regional Health Bureau (RHB) .

Under the Rapid Access Expansion (RAcE) programme, launched in Malawi in 2013, the Ministry of Health has been working with WHO to train community health workers to treat common childhood diseases.

The approach, known as the integrated community case management (iCCM) of childhood illnesses, focuses on treating diarrhoea, malaria and pneumonia, which together accounted for 45% of deaths among children younger than 5 years of age in the country in 2012.

Banjul, 3rd November 2015 - The specific objectives of the assistance visit were to provide information to stakeholders on ICAO and WHO Public Health Emergency (PHE) management for the aviation sector; promote and facilitate communication & collaboration between the aviation and public health sectors; review existing procedures and assist The Gambia by providing advice and training.

Banjul, 03 November 2015 - The Gambia joins the international community to commemorate World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) 2015 and as activities continue to mark this important event, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MoH&SW) in collaboration with the 

Masaka, 3rd November 2015:- Uganda launched the 10th  Elimination of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV &AIDS campaign in the Central region in Masaka district at the  district grounds under the theme “Protecting our baby, our future”.

The Hydrotherapy Center established at the Cheshire Services Ethiopia, and which is the first in its kind in Ethiopia was inaugurated in the presence of WHO Representative, Dr. Pierre M'Pele-Kilebou, donors and contributors to the center, guest Rotarians from the USA and Canada, and other polio partners on Monday, 5 October 2015.  Unveiling was done by W/ro Mintwab Abebe, widow of Mr Nahusenay Araya, former District Governor (DG) of Rotary Club.

FIFA in collaboration with the Sierra Leone Football Association, United Nations agencies (WHO and UNICEF) on 1 November launched the ‘FIFA 11 for Health’ programme in Freetown aimed at promoting healthier lifestyles among young people. The programme was launched by a delegation of FIFA officials led by the football legend Samuel Eto’o Fils.

Rotarians from the USA and Canada paid  a courtesy visit to WHO Ethiopia on 6 October  2015, and were warmly welcomed  in a traditional coffee ceremony. The team also met and interacted with the staff of WHO Ethiopia Country Office Expanded Program on Immunization Team.

World Polio Day (WPD) was commemorated on 24 October 2015 at Addis Ababa National Assembly Hall in the presence of the Ethiopian Government, partners: WHO, UNICEF, USAID, and Rotary International and allies CCRDA/ CORE Group. This celebration inspired attendees and viewers to join the Polio eradication effort as Ethiopia is near the finish line: 2018.

To contribute to the debate about costing Universal Health Coverage (UHC), the WHO Country Office in collaboration with WHO HQ developed the attached brief to help think through the implications.  “How much will the reform cost?” is a common and sensible-sounding question in planning any major health reform. Indeed, it is a question that national finance authorities have to ask. Unfortunately, the answer is complicated – although the expectation is that it is simple and straightforward.