Lusaka, 4 July 2009 -- Mr. Yohei Sasakawa, the President of the Nippon Foundation/Sasakawa Health Memorial Foundation (NF/SHMF) and WHO Goodwill Ambassador for the Elimination of Leprosy visited Zambia from 29th June to 4th July 2009 to follow-up on the country’s Leprosy elimination achievements. He was met by His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zambia Mr. Rupiah Bwezani Banda at State House on 2nd July 2009. Mr. Sasakawa’s message to the President was that of making the country free from Leprosy by ensuring that it is put high on the health agenda.

Geneva, 1 July 2009 -- A clinical trial is being launched in three African countries of a drug that could eliminate onchocerciasis, or river blindness, one of the leading infectious causes of blindness across Africa. The drug, moxidectin, is being investigated for its potential to kill or sterilize the adult worms of Onchocerca volvulus, which cause onchocerciasis.

Introduction

The Blood Donor Day, 2009 in Tanzania was commemorated at national level in Mbeya City, southern Tanzania. The occasion was officiated by the Hon. Minister of Health and Social Welfare and attended by the Regional Commissioner and other regional officials, Ministry of Health Officials, WHO, CDC and other partners, Voluntary Blood Donors, the Media and the Mbeya community.

Major events on WBDD, 2009

President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete of the United Republic of Tanzania on 30th June 2009 launched the Health Sector Strategic Plan III July 2009 – June 2015 - “Partnership for Delivering the MDGs”.

Brazzaville, 24 June 2009 -- The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa, Dr Luis Gomes Sambo has urged countries in the region to be extra vigilant and strengthen their disease surveillance to ensure prompt detection and response to the Pandemic H1N1 2009.

The advice came following the confirmation of ten (10) cases of the new flu virus in five countries: Cape Verde, Algeria, Ethiopia and Cote d'Ivoire and South Africa where the first confirmed case of the virus was reported on 18 June 09.

Kinshasa/Brazzaville 23 June 2009 - - The World Health Organization's Regional Director for Africa Dr Luis Gomes Sambo has concluded a five-day official visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the invitation of the Congolese government.

The visit began on Thursday 18th June 2009, in the capital city of Kinshasa where Dr Sambo paid a courtesy call on His Excellency Mr Alexis Thambwe Mwamba, Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Speakers of the Senate and National Assembly to discuss issues of mutual interest.

The Minister of State for Health (General Duties) Honourable Richard Nduhura has called for solidarity in blood donation so that people who need blood in emergencies can easily access it. The Minister was speaking during the commemoration of World Blood Donor’s Day 2009, and opening of the Regional Blood Bank in Mbarara town South-western Uganda.

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Gambia, 4 June 2009 -- The WHO Representative, Dr Thomas Sukwa, this afternoon briefed staff of the United Nations System in the Gambia on the current Influenza A H1N1 epidemic. The second in a series organized by the WHO Country Office for UN staff since the outbreak of the Influenza A H1N1 was reported in April this year, the objective of the exercise was to provide regular updates on the epidemic to UN Staff and to arm them with the necessary information needed for the prevention and control of the disease.

Tanzania joined hands with the rest of the world to commemorate the World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) for the 23rd time on 31st May 2009. This is done to create people’s awareness and to curb the use of tobacco products in the country, which has been on the increase in the 21st century. The activity this year WNTD was successfully hosted by Kilimanjaro Region, in the township of Holili, Rombo District.

Planning and implementation of activities

Kasane, 31 May 2009 -- In the long standing tradition of taking the commemoration to people, this year the commemoration was in the tourist town of Kasane in the extreme North west part of the country.

The theme was Tobacco: Health Warnings! It is a theme that resonates well with a lot of initiatives of various government institutions including the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Local Government, the Botswana Police service who all made presentations and exhibited at the event.