The second day of the meeting of health experts of African countries as part of the 6th Session of the African Union (AU) Conference of Ministers of Health (CAMH6) continued with deliberations on Harnessing Africa’s Demographic Dividend, the Africa Diaspora initiative on enhancing capacity and strengthening the healthcare workforce on MNCH, and on AU-G8 accountability report on AIDS, TB and Malaria. A side event on CARMMA was held. In addition, the participants shared experiences on the new momentum global and regional developments in tackling NTDs.

The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa, Dr Luis G. Sambo, representing WHO Director-General, Dr Margaret Chan, will arrive Addis, on Wednesday, 24 April 2013 with high level delegates including the WHO Assistant Director General – Dr Flavia Bustreo, and Cluster Directors from the WHO Regional Offices for Africa and the Eastern - Mediterranean. 

Commemoration of the African Vaccination Week and Child Health Days, Botswana

This year’s AVW focus in Botswana was to reduce the number of un-immunised children through reinforcing routine immunization.

To Commemorate African Vaccination Week and Child Health Days, additional support was provided to selected low performing districts during the period April 22- May 31, 2013. The districts selected were Gaborone, Kanye/Moshupa, Goodhope, Mahalapye and Okavango.

This year’s African Vaccination Week was commemorated together with the annual Child Health Promotion Week on the 23rd April, 2013 under the theme “Healthy Children; Great Future” with the slogan “Vaccinate, Prevent disabilities, Save lives”.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Ministry of Public Health in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners officially launched the African Vaccination Week (AVW) on Monday 22 April 2012 under the theme: “Save lives. Prevent disabilities. Vaccinate”.

The launching programme was held in ‘Hotel le Fleuve’ in Kinshasa. The press was strongly represented; more than 15 TV Channels, Radio and written press attended the launch as well as various national deputies and WR.

Friday 19 of April 2013, a press conference on the African Vaccination Week was held at the library of WHO, Yaoundé, Cameroun.

The press conference was organized to announce the third African Vaccination Week, which will be celebrated jointly with the Maternal and Child Nutrition Action Week (MCNAW) from 26 until 30  April in all ten regions of Cameroun.

Wednesday, 24th of April ANGOLA. A media conference was held on the third day of the African Vaccination Week in Angola to inform the national media on AVW activities in Angola.

The conference was organized into four sessions. The first session, in attendance of the National Director of Public Health, one Representative of the National Pediatrics Association, and WHO and UNICEF Representative in Angola and the WHO Official for Immunization, was directed to the main news channels of the National Radio of Angola.

The launch of the AVW was coupled with the polio NID’s and Child Survival Week and chaired by the Ministry of health accompanied by the WHO and Unicef Representatives, as well as civil societies (Rotary Club International and la Commission Polio Plus Bénin, Plan International Bénin, USAID, ROBS, etc.).

The launch was held on the23 of April 2013 at Toviklin in Couffo, department where cases of vaccine refusals have been registered during campaigns. 

The AVW was launched on the 23 of April 2013, by the Secretary general in the MOH, Mr Moussa Ould Ahmednah in Atar, Adrar region, located at around 450 Km in the North of the capital city Nouakchott. The WHO and UNICEF  representatives accompanied him. This region was chosen because of its persistent low performances in routine immunization.

An outreach session was held last Tuesday 23 April 2013, within District 5 of Lome, a peripheral area of the capital city. “People have little access to the health center; that’s why we have got the vaccination services closer to them as per the spirit of the AVW”, explained Mrs TENA Kanma Nanah, Communications Officer at the Epidemiological Division, Ministry of Health. Present at the supervisory visit, officials from the Togo Ministry of Health Togo and WHO Colleagues.