The WHO Country Representative, Innocent Bright Nuwagira, led a team from AFRO and Africa CDC to brief Babatunde Ahonsi, the UN Resident Coordinator in Sierra Leone, about an ongoing scoping mission. This mission's primary objective is to bolster health security and emergency capacity for the successful implementation of the Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR) initiatives within the country.

^{By Vivian Mugarisi}

Luanda, 8 November 2023 – Today, Angola has taken a significant step in the fight against tuberculosis with the validation of the National Tuberculosis Strategic Plan for 2023-2027, convening influential partners such as UNICEF, the Global Fund, UNDP, and UNAIDS in Luanda. This initiative signifies an important moment in the country's strategy to tackle this curable and preventable disease, which remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide.

On 5^th August 2023, Ministry of Health with support from World Health Organization deployed the first ever national 12-member Emergency Medical Team (EMT) to Chikwawa District. This team was trained in two sessions held in April and June 2023 as part of preparedness for public health emergencies. A time, cholera cases were on the rise and spreading vastly with increased deaths across the country’s districts.

Malawi is the first country in Africa to utilize the recently updated Global Task Force for Cholera Control tool to identify priority areas for multi-sectoral interventions (PAMIs, also called hotspots) for cholera control. A timely approach as the country embarks on a roadmap to develop a multi-sectoral cholera control strategy.

The South African National Department of Health (NDOH), in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), initiated the establishment of a network of Public Health Emergency Operating Centers (PHEOCs) at national and provincial levels on 2-3 November 2023.

Accra, Ghana – The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) Ghana have signed an agreement to pilot a new project that will strengthen ongoing efforts to protect against the dangers of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in Ghana.

The new project titled - Partnership for Health Security in Ghana under the “Increasing Health Security Capacities through the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) Phase 2” by the Government of Korea is worth 100 000 US Dollars and will be implemented in the Northern region of Ghana.

When COVID-19 vaccination was introduced in Ghana, Gershon Kwame Osei, a religious leader from Ave-Dakpa Community in the Akatsi North District of Ghana’s Volta region was one of the influential voices against the vaccine due to myths and superstition. 

Maputo – The Africa Regional Certification Commission for Polio Eradication (ARCC) has advised Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe, together with health partners, to urgently address gaps in polio immunity in order to prevent outbreaks. This recommendation follows a week of intense discussions between partners, countries and ARCC members in Maputo, Mozambique, from 31 October to 3 November 2023, on the response to ongoing polio outbreaks in the region.