Brazzaville, 18 March 2013 -- A regional consultation convened by the World Health Organization (WHO) on the strategic use of anti-retroviral medicines (ARVs) in Eastern and Southern African countries will take place from 19 to 21 March in Harare, Zimbabwe. 

The three-day consultation will bring together more than 60 experts from nine countries, research institutions, and multilateral agencies, agencies in the United Nations system, donors and civil society.  

As part of its ongoing efforts to prevent measles and rubella, Rwandan health workers will vaccinate nearly five million children between the ages of 9 months and 14 years during the four-day measles-rubella vaccination campaign, which begins today in a village outside Kigali. In addition, girls attending school in Primary 6 and Secondary 3 grades will also receive their first doses of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine to protect them against the leading cause of cervical cancer.

Johannesburg, 18 March 2013 – The World Health Organization's Regional Director for Africa, Dr Luis Sambo has underscored the urgent need to address the rising trend of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in the African Region through multisectoral actions.

The Kingdom of Swaziland with a population of a million people carries a terrible burden: the world’s highest incidence of tuberculosis (TB) superimposed with high levels of co-infection with HIV. A major challenge is the early detection of people with TB: WHO estimates that around 47% of people with TB in the country are not detected or notified.

The World Health Organization (WHO) supported the Sierra Leone Roads Transport Authority (SLRTA) to validate the National Road Safety Strategic Plan (2013-2015) in a 2 day multi stakeholders’ workshop held from 13-14 March 2013 in Freetown.  Some of the partners at the meeting included the  Sierra Leone Police, insurance companies, motor drivers’ union and vehicle owners,  health officials and line ministries, the local councils, civil society and partners including WHO among others.

The Kingdom of Swaziland with a population of a million people carries a terrible burden: the world’s highest incidence of tuberculosis (TB) superimposed with high levels of co-infection with HIV. A major challenge is the early detection of people with TB: WHO estimates that around 47% of people with TB in the country are not detected or notified.

Brazzaville, 14 March 2013 -- A  Regional Stakeholders’ Consultative Meeting on Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) convened by the World Health Organization (WHO) will take place from 20 to 22 March in Brazzaville, Congo

WHAT: Stakeholders’ dialogue to address risk factors for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the WHO African Region. The theme of the meeting is: “Today’s risk factors are tomorrow's diseases.” 

WHEN: 08:00 am – 10:00 am, Monday 18 March, 2013 

WHERE: Birchwood Hotel, Viewpoint Road, Bartlett, Boksburg, Johannesburg, South Africa

14 March 2013 -- A new WHO report on road safety calls for more comprehensive legislation addressing the five key road safety risk factors to reduce fatalities and injuries.

Brazzaville, 13 March 2013 --  The World Health Organization's Regional Director for Africa, Dr Luis Sambo presented the Report on “Addressing the Challenge of Women’s Health in Africa” at a Special Meeting organized at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in London by the World Health Organization in collaboration with the Global Libr