Windhoek -- On 11 May, Namibia along with more than 150 countries worldwide launched the Global Decade of Action for Road Safety by initiating the Namibian Chapter of the Decade of Action 2011-2020, developed by the National Road Safety Council (NRSC) in collaboration the World Health Organization (WHO), the Motor Vehicle Accident (MVA) Fund among other stakeholders. To symbolize the launch, a special commemorative postage stamp produced in collaboration with NamPost was unveiled.

Lusaka 11, May , 2011 - Today Zambia joined the rest of the world in launching the United Nations’ 2011 -2020 Decade of Action on Road Safety at the Intercontinental Hotel in Lusaka. According to a WHO study, about 1.3 people are killed on the worlds’ roads annually leaving about 50 million people with injuries and maimed as a result of road traffic accidents.

road traffic accidents in the first quarter of 2010 resulting in death and serious injuries. These statistics shows that significant efforts must be made before more lives are lost

Windhoek, 10 May 2011 -- The World Health Organization(WHO) Country office in Namibia and the Namibian Red Cross Society (NRCS) today announced its joint health strategy to respond to the flood emergency. Following a consultative meeting, both partners agreed for the need to intensify health promotion and hygiene education interventions, strengthen disease surveillance and ensure that communities access health services using both organizations’ key strengths.

Abidjan, 10 May 2011 -- The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Luis Sambo, em-barked on an official visit to the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire on Monday 9 May 2011.

The aim of the visit was to assess the impact of the post-electoral conflict on the health of people.

The Regional Director paid a courtesy call on His Excellency, Guillaume SORO, Prime Minister of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire.

They discussed a range of issues pertaining to health care reforms and immediate response to public health care needs.

The WHO Regional Director for Africa Dr Luis Gomes Sambo has called for urgent action to address the recurrent epidemics in West African countries. He made this call while addressing delegates at the official opening of the 12th Ordinary Meeting of the Assembly of ECOWAS Health Ministers which is taking place in Lome, Togo from 5 - 7 May 2011.

Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020 set to save millions of lives

6 May 2011, Geneva -- On 11 May , dozens of countries around the world kick off the first global Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020. From New Zealand to Mexico and the Russian Federation to South Africa, governments are committing to take new steps to save lives on their roads. The Decade seeks to prevent road traffic deaths and injuries which experts project will take the lives of 1.9 million people annually by 2020.

Brazzaville, 4 May 2011 -- More than 75 million children, women and men from 22 countries in the WHO African Region were vaccinated in April against polio and many other vaccine-preventable diseases, in the first ever region-wide vaccination campaign of its type.

Windhoek, 3 May April 2011 -- The World Health Organization has received nearly USD 251,000 ( N$1.7m) from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to respond to the health impact of the country’s worst flooding in decades. The floods have affected more than 230,000 people and as many as 40 health clinics and 180 outreach health points were rendered inaccessible in the regions of Oshana, Ohangwena, Omusati, and Caprivi. Consequently, many flood-affected people particularly in isolated communities have limited to no access to health care.

Dar es Salaam, 2 May 2011 -- New recommendations calling for an unprecedented level of accountability to save the lives of more women and children in developing countries were agreed today by the United Nations Commission on Information and Accountability for Women’s and Children’s Health. These new approaches will help ensure that pledges are honoured and resources spent in the most effective way to save lives.

The ten recommendations include specific approaches to:

Addis Ababa, 30 April 2012 -- Ethiopia joined the rest of Africa to commemorate the second African Vaccination Week (AVW) on 30 April – 5 May 2012. Under the country theme, “Immunize your child; prevent polio and measles outbreaks”, the vaccination week aims to strengthen the immunization programme in the country by drawing attention to, and increasing awareness of the importance, the need and the right of all persons to be protected against vaccine preventable diseases.