Chad has launched a mass campaign to vaccinate nearly 2 million people against meningitis A, the primary cause of epidemic meningitis in sub-Saharan Africa. This is part of a multi-year immunization campaign covering the 25 countries of the African meningitis belt. Cameroon and Nigeria also began campaigns last week, with Mali and Niger completing the campaigns which they began last year. 

20 July 2016, Geneva - Ahead of World Hepatitis Day, 28 July 2016, WHO is urging countries to take rapid action to improve knowledge about the disease, and to increase access to testing and treatment services. Today, only 1 in 20 people with viral hepatitis know they have it. And just 1 in 100 with the disease is being treated.

Arusha, 19 November -- Tanzania's Prime Minister, Frederick Sumaye, on Tuesday called for increased government-private sector cooperation in malaria control in Africa. 
Officiallly opening the Third Multilateral Initiative on Malaria Pan-African Conference in Arusha, Mr Sumaye said African governments alone could not control the scourge of malaria on the continent.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 40 million children aged below 15 years fall victim to violence each year. The ensuing traumas vary according to the gravity of the violence and the child's personal experience and can, in the long run, have medical and psychosocial consequences.

Women's health is recognized as a human rights issue and should be promoted and defended as such. Women in Africa represent slightly over 50% of the continent's human resources and so women's health has huge implications for the Region's development. Focusing in particular on the unacceptably high level of maternal mortality in sub-Saharan Africa, the report calls for a fundamental rethinking of approaches to improving women's health informed by an understanding of the sociocultural determinants that are so important in shaping it.

As a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), the Ebola virus disease outbreak in West Africa has drawn huge global attention and response.

Numerous queries about immunization services and the risks they present have been raised. Tragically in some areas, there are reports of increased vaccine-preventable deaths, such as measles. In this context, practical guidance on immunization is needed.

The specific purpose of this document is to assist countries to:

Regional Consultation on the roles and responsibilities of WHO and civil society organizations in the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases in the African Region

Intercontinental Hotel, Balaclava, Mauritius, 17-18 October 2016

Brazzaville -- What actions should countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) and other development partners take to accelerate the development of human resources for health in the African Region?

Answers to this question are contained in a document prepared by the WHO Regional Office for Africa for discussion at the 52nd session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa taking place from 8 to 12 October in Brazzaville, Congo.

Key facts

• Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the top 10 causes of death worldwide.
• In 2015, 10.4 million people fell ill with TB and 1.8 million died from the disease (including 0.4 million among people with HIV).

Regional Stakeholders Convene to Shape Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s, and Adolescents’ Health

| Johannesburg, 6 May 2015 - Hundreds of leaders and public health experts from across Africa are gathering today to identify game-changing interventions to accelerate progress towards improving the lives of millions of women, children and adolescents.