The Executive Representative of the UN Secretary General (ERSG) in Sierra Leone, Mr Michael Von-der Schulenburg made a working visit to the WHO Country Office on 19 May 2011. The purpose of his visit was to be updated on the work of WHO and interact with Staff Members.

Lusaka,  18 March 2011 -- Recognizing the need to strengthen cross-border cooperation for effective disease surveillance and containment and in line with the 60th Session of the WHO Regional Committee Resolution on cross-border collaboration, the Ministers of Health from Angola, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Namibia and Zambia, met in Lusaka the capital city of Zambia from the 17 to 18th March 2011.

Brazzaville, 17 May 2011-- As Ministers of Health of  the WHO African Region gathered in Brazzaville on 6 April 2011 for their first ever session devoted to discussing how to address the high and growing incidence of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), the WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Luis Sambo,   asked a thought-provoking question.

“How”,  he asked,  “did NCDs come to pose such a public health threat to the world” ?

In response to a request from the Muhimbili University College of Health Sciences (MUHAS), Dr. Rufaro Chatora, WR Tanzania organized a briefing of the Masters of Public Health students on WHO, International Agencies and Global Health.

The session took place in the WCO conference hall and it was attended by 11 MPH students and lecturers. Others in attendance were some of the WCO Programme Officers.

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Lusaka, 16 March 2011 -- The 7th Polio Technical Advisory Group (TAG) Meeting for Angola, Congo and Democratic Republic of Congo, Namibia and Zambia is taking place from 16th- 18th March, 2011 in Lusaka.

WR Tanzania Dr. Rufaro Chatora accompanied by three WCO Programme Officers made a visit to the Ministry of Livestock Development and Fisheries. In this visit the WR was able to meet with the newly appointed Minister of Livestock Development and Fisheries Hon. Dr. Mathayo David Mathayo, for a briefing on the WHO support to the Tanzania Rabies Elimination Project implemented jointly by his Ministry, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Administration.

Brazzaville, 16 May 2011 -- The sixty-fourth session of the World Health Assembly (WHA) opens on Monday 16 May 2011 in Geneva, Switzerland.

WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Luis Gomes Sambo, is already in Geneva with a team from the Regional Office for the 9-day meeting which ends on 24 May.

The WHA, which is WHO’s supreme decision-making body, is attended by delegates from the 193 Member States, 46 of these from the African Region.

16 May 2011 -- In her opening address to the Sixty-fourth World Health Assembly, Dr Chan reviewed recent challenges and some major successes, including declines in child deaths and in the HIV and TB epidemics, and unprecedented progress in eliminating several ancient diseases of poverty. She also announced that WHO is embarking on the most extensive administrative, managerial, and financial reforms in its 63-year history.

WHO and UNAIDS applaud results from the HPTN 052 trial that show antiretroviral therapy to be 96% effective in reducing HIV transmission in couples where one partner has HIV. "This is a crucial development, because we know that sexual transmission accounts for about 80% of all new infections," said Dr Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General. "The findings from this study will further strengthen and support the new guidance that WHO is releasing in July to help people living with HIV protect their partners."

The Decade of Action for Road Safety (2011-2020), proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in March 2010, was officially launched on May 11th at the Convention Center in Maseru, Lesotho. Road traffic accidents are major but neglected public health problems in Lesotho. During the last five years, 2006-2010, 1,593 people lost their lives on Lesotho roads. The Lesotho Decade of Action covers critical areas for action, from enhancing roads and vehicles to improving the behaviors of drivers.