The Government of Rwanda, through the Ministry of Health has hosted an inter-country IMCI Computerised Adaptation Training Tool (ICATT) orientation and capacity building workshop bringing together 30 senior child health specialist from 5 countries (Botswana, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, and Zimbabwe) from 5th to 9th December 2011.

The workshop aims to orient and train participants in the application and use of the ICATT software for quick adaptation of IMCI guidelines and scaling up training of health workers using computers.

The five day Inter-country Global Learning Programme for Tanzania and Rwanda WCOs in Arusha, Tanzania was concluded today, with each countries coming up with its GLPNHPSP Road map.

The training was facilitated by Dr. Rufaro Chatora, WR Tanzania; Dr. Habib Somanje from AFRO, Dr Andre Rusanganwa from WCO Rwanda and Dr. Martins Ovberedjo from WCO Tanzania.

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Tanzania and Rwanda WCOs are participating in an Inter-country Global Learning Programme in Arusha, Tanzania with 9 participants from WCO Rwanda and 19 from WCO Tanzania.

Training runs from 21st – 25th November 2011 and it is being facilitated by Dr. Rufaro Chatora, WR Tanzania; Dr. Habib Somanje from AFRO, Dr Andre Rusanganwa from WCO Rwanda and Dr. Martins Ovberedjo from WCO Tanzania.

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Hon. Minister of Health and Social Welfare Dr. Hadji Mponda (MP) on 4th December 2011 launched the National TB Prevalence as part of activities at the exhibitions to mark 50 years of the independence of Tanzania Mainland.

Tanzania has committed itself to the Millennium Development Goals that aim at a 50% reduction in TB prevalence and mortality rates relative to the year 1990 levels by 2015. Tanzania achieved the TB indicator target of 85% treatment success rate in 2006 and treatment success rate of 88% is indicated in 2010 WHO Global TB report.

Banjul, 12 December 2011 -- The Honourable Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Fatim Badjie, this morning launched the national measles vaccination campaign at the Kanifing Municipal Council Headquarters. An estimated 310735 children between 9 and 59 months are targeted for this exercise. Vitamin A supplementation for the 6 - 59 months old, representing a target population of 329014 children, will also be carried out simultaneously during the one week exercise which ends on Sunday, 18th of December 2011.

The World AIDS Day (WAD) national commemoration was marked on the 1st December,2011 at Ha Mabote in Maseru District. The theme for this year is “Getting to zero: zero new HIV infections. Zero discrimination. Zero AIDS related deaths".

9 December 2011 – In a final push to eradicate poliomyelitis (polio) from South Sudan, the Ministry of Heath and its partners, UNICEF and WHO, have launched the first of four rounds of a polio national immunization campaign. The "Kick polio out of South Sudan" campaign will take place from 13 to 16 December.

Addis Ababa, 8 December 2011 -- Impassioned pleas for intensified efforts by all for African countries to achieve universal access by 2015 marked the end in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 8 December 2011 of Africa's largest conference on HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections.

The calls echoed the spirit of the Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS adopted at the United Nations High Level Meeting on AIDS adopted in June this year. The Declaration sets out bold new targets and calls on Member States to redouble efforts to achieve universal access by 2015.

Addis Ababa, 8 December 2011 -- The World Health Organization (WHO) has presented a new normative guidance document on the prevention, diagnosis and management of cryptococcal disease in HIV-infected adults, adolescents and children, with a focus on settings with limited health systems capacity and resources, and a high burden of the disease.

Cryptococcal disease, a little known but one of most important opportunistic infections in humans, is believed to account for between 13 % and 44 % of deaths in HIV-infected cohorts in resource-limited settings.