WHO Director General Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland on Tuesday in Harare appealed to donor governments and external sources of assistance to respond "promptly and generously " to the humanitarian crisis facing southern Africa.

"People's survival and sustainable development are at stake. Our actions today have the potential to save hundreds of thousands of lives, and to shape the future of this sub-region," Dr Brundtland said.

9 August 2012 -- About 41% of pregnant women in Swaziland are infected with HIV, and they give birth to over 17 000 babies who are exposed to HIV. The prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV is a top priority for the Government of Swaziland.

Johannesburg, 11 August 2009 -- The emergence of the Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Pandemic puts an additional pressure on health systems of African countries already stretched with other competing public health priorities, said Dr Luis Gomes Sambo, the World Health Organization's (WHO) Regional Director for Africa.

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.

Health Ministers from ten southern African countries and senior officials of the World Health Organization meet from 26 - 28 August in Harare, Zimbabwe, to examine the response of the health sector to the acute and large-scale humanitarian crisis facing the region.

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

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.

The WHO Regional Office for Africa is soliciting proposals for nominations for current vacancies on its Task Force on Immunization (TFI).  Nominations are required to be submitted no later than 07 June 2013.  Nominations will be carefully reviewed by the TFI membership selection panel which will propose the selection of nominees for appointment to the WHO Regional Director for Africa.