The World Health Organisation is currently working with the National Department of Health and key stakeholders in planning the following: 

Commemoration of Africa Vaccination Week (AVW) 2013 in April. The goal of the AVW in SA is to increase the awareness of the benefits of the second dose of measles vaccination at 18 months among health care workers, parents and caregivers. WHO is a member of the AVM 2014 Coordination Team, is involved in AVW planning and has assisted in drafting a related concept note.

Cluster RSU Management Officers, ISTs Management Officers and HR Officers, Operations Officers from DRC and South Africa, including HR Assistants from Angola and Kenya are attending a training workshop in Johannesburg, South Africa, to enhance their core competencies and develop skills and strategies for managing their work. It is expected that on completion the training, the attendants will have a more coordinated effort in: 

Brazzaville, 21 February 2014 -- The World Health Organization’s Regional Director for Africa, Dr Luis Gomes Sambo has urged governments to accelerate efforts towards ensuring that all people are able to access quality health services - including the appropriate mix of preventive, promotive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative care, without suffering fi

The WHO Country Office has an annual invitation to address the Executive National Security Programme (ENSP) of the South African National Defence College.  This year the topic was on the “World Health and Demographic Trends”.  Presented by Ms Mary Anne Groepe, WHO NPO/Malaria, the presentation provided deeper insight into the security implications of world health and demographic trends with specific reference, but not limited to, Africa and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.  The presentation covered four areas:

Banjul, 21 February 2014 -- The Ministry of Health & Social Welfare in collaboration with the World Lung Foundation in New York, and with the technical support of the WHO Country Office, launched on Wednesday, 19 February 2014, the first-ever national mass mediacampaign to warn people about the harmful effects of tobacco.

WHO supported the National Department of Health in the national plan to introduce Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination among girls in Grade 4 (9 years and above) in public schools.  Among the many joint activities carried out included an assessment to provide on the ground support, identify gaps in planning and high risk factors timely enough to allow remedial action and ensure success. The assessment was carried out from 18 to 27 February in all South Africa’s nine provinces. The NDOH launched the HPV vaccination campaign nationwide in Bloemfontein on March 12, 2014.

Libreville, 25 February 2014 – Ministers of Health of the  six-nation Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) met on 20 February in Libreville, Gabon, to launch the Common Pharmaceutical Policy of the regional economic grouping.

The meeting was chaired by the Minister of Health of Gabon, Prof.  Fidele MENGUE ME ENGOUANG, representing His Excellency Ali BONGO ONDIMBA, President of the Republic of Gabon.

A second study by World Health Organization suggests keeping vaccines at ambient temperatures during campaigns could cut storage and transportation costs in half

| GENEVA (19 February 2014) – The first mass vaccination campaign conducted in Africa with a vaccine that does not require constant refrigeration succeeded in providing complete coverage while ensuring the vaccine stayed viable even in ambient temperatures up to 39°C (102.2°F), according to a study published online today in the journal Vaccine.

Harare 19 Feb. 2014 -- A Social Determinants of Health Working Group Orientation Meeting was held in Harare. The meeting, which was attended by Focal Persons from 10 ministries in the Govern-ment of Zimbabwe, including the Office of the Presi-dent and Cabinet and the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC), marks the birth of the Social Determinants of Health Working Group.

The Federal Ministry of Health in the presence of WHO Country representative and other key partners, launched today (18th February, 2014) the Malaria and Lymphatic filariasis co-implementation guideline. 

The document provides a broad guideline for the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the co-implementation of Malaria and Lymphatic Filariasis programmes at the National, state and local government levels. The guideline seeks to harmonize key vector control strategies for both programmes to produce synergistic effect in a cost effective manner.