Brazzaville, 24 March 2013 - - World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa, Dr Luis Sambo, has re-iterated his plea to governments and their health and development partners to increase and sustain political and financial commitments for tuberculosis (TB) control in the WHO African Region.

“This is vital to ensure that everyone has access to TB prevention and treatment services in all countries in the region”, Dr Sambo said  in his message on the occasion of World TB Day, observed worldwide on 24 March.

Brazzaville, 29 March 2013 -- WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS,  Peng  Liyuan, who is also the First Lady of the People’s  Republic  of China, today  visited the Bethania orphanage of children affected by  HIV in Brazzaville, Congo.

Sierra Leone will conduct maternal and neonatal tetanus elimination (MNTE) validation survey in April 2013. The exercise will be conducted in Port Loko District which has been one of the high risk districts in the country and will be carried out by the Ministry of Health and Sanitation with technical and financial support of WHO and UNICEF. The survey will target all live births delivered between 1 March 2012 and 1 March 2013 as well as women within the reproductive age bracket of 15-49 years.

On 22nd March, 2013, the United Republic of Tanzania in collaboration with the European Union and the World Health Organization signed a Tripartite Memorandum to improve pharmaceutical systems and access to quality medicines in the country. 

This year, the United Republic of Tanzania commemorated the World TB Day by holding a press conference and officially launching the national operational guidelines for engaging Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in the TB control activities in the country.

Nairobi Kenya, 22 March 2013 -- As a build up to this year’s World TB Day (WTBD) Commemorations, the country took the opportunity to sensitize the public and the media fraternity on national issues related to the TB epidemic. This year’s national celebrations commemorated under the global theme “Stop TB in my lifetime” was held in Nairobi at a media briefing and a field event held at one of the informal settlements. Other events to mark the day were held at all provincial and district levels.

On 18th June, 2013 -- Tanzania launched the national plan of action for Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) during a high level sensitization meeting which took place in Dar es Salaam. The meeting was officiated by the Minister for Health and Social Welfare, Hon. Dr. Hussein Mwinyi.

Johannesburg, 20 March 2013 --The World Health Organization’s multi-stakeholder dialogue on noncommunicable diseases has ended in Johannesburg with a call for sustained dialogue to stem the tide of the diseases in the African Region.

Brazzaville, 20 March 2013 -- The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa, Dr Luis Sambo,  has called for increased  commitment and better coordinated support by partners and donors to tackle neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) which affect mainly people living in rural areas.

Dr Sambo made the call in an address to the opening session of a consultative meeting on NTDs which began in Brazzaville on Wednesday.

The Expert Review Committee on Polio Eradication and Routine immunisation in Nigeria met recently in Abuja for the 25th session since its inception. The committee reaffirmed its faith in the ability of Nigeria to stop polio from by end 2013.

Although, the polio eradication programme in Nigeria is faced by operationalas well as security challenges, the Expert Committee said that Nigeria can show the world something special adding that eradicating polio will be Nigeria's gift to the world.