The Sierra Leonean Minister of Health and Sanitation, Mrs Zainab Bangura, and of Lands, Country Planning and the Environment, Rtd. Captain Allieu Pat Sowe, have signed the Luanda Commitment on the implementation of the Libreville Declaration on Health and Environment in Africa.

The two ministers signed the document to reaffirm the country’s interest and commitment to address health and environment linkages as they affect environmental risk factors to health.

Mbabane 1 June 2011 -- The Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) of the Kingdom of Swaziland Mr Themba Nhlanganiso Masuku with support from WHO and UNICEF launched the First African Vaccination Week today. As a demonstration of the highest political commitment and a call for the people of Swaziland to ensure that their children are routinely vaccinated, the launch was conducted by the Deputy Prime Minister himself under the slogan, “Vaccinated communities; Healthy communities”. He was flanked by the Hon.

Windhoek, 1 June 2011 -- With less than two weeks to go for Namibia’s National Immunization Days (NIDs) the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) with support from line Ministries and development partners are accelerating efforts to finalize preparations. Namibia will be conducting its 15th year of NIDs in June and July 2011 which aims to immunize 320,000 under five-year old children from childhood illnesses, such as blindness and polio. Namibia’s NIDs is estimated to cost N$14 million annually.

The WHO Regional Office for Africa, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health of Rwanda, organizes at Kigali, Rwanda, from 30th May to 3rd June 2011, a training workshop in two sessions, the first one on the programmatic management of Drug Resistant Tuberculosis, and the second on Drug Resistance Surveys (DRS) and Drug Resistant Tuberculosis recording and reporting for Program Epidemiologists, statisticians and data managers from selected participating countries.

On 31st May 2011, Kenya joined the rest of the world to mark World No-tobacco Day. The national event was held in Nairobi at the Hilton Hotel, presided over by the Director for Public Health and Sanitation, Dr. Shanaz Shariff, representing the Minister for Public health and Sanitation.

31 May to 03 June 2011 -- Dr Luis Gomes Sambo, WHO Regional Director for Africa, concluded an important 2-day official visit to the headquarters of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle, Washington. Throughout the visit, information was shared on public health matters of regional concern and identification of areas of shared priorities and further collaborative actions in an attempt to coordinate improved support to countries in the African Region.

Tanzania commemorated this year’s World No Tobacco Day in Bagamoyo District, Coast Region on 31st May 2011. The occasion which was well attended was officiated by Hon. Dr. Hadji Hussein Mponda, Minister for Health and Social Welfare.

Brazzaville, 30 May 2011 -- WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Luis Sambo, has re-iterated his appeal to all Member States in the Region to ratify and implement the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

In his message on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day (WNTD), to be observed worldwide on Tuesday (31 May), Dr Sambo stressed that the treaty “is good for protecting public health, good for increasing government revenue, good for preserving the environment and good for helping tobacco growers to shift to alternative activities.”

24 May 2011 -- In her closing address Director-General Dr Margaret Chan praised delegates for consensus on issues that profoundly affect public health. Apart from discussions on unprecedented reforms at WHO, Member States reached agreements that expand the capacity of all countries to respond to pandemic influenza and other emergencies, strengthen health systems to improve access to quality care, tackle chronic noncommunicable diseases, and give the world a better chance to reach the health-related MDGs.

Sierra Leone launched the first African Vaccination Week (AVW) on 23rd May to strengthen national immunization programmes and improve knowledge among parents and caregivers about the need to vaccinate their children against vaccine preventable diseases.

The Week was launched by the First Lady of Sierra Leone, Her Excellency Mrs Sia Nyama Koroma in Freetown in a colourful ceremony in the presence of government functionaries, UN agencies, other development partners, health workers, the civil society and the gen-eral public.