Banjul, The Gambia – In a landmark event held in The Gambia, a four-day capacity-building workshop on integrated polio surveillance recently concluded, signaling a pivotal moment in the African Region's commitment to eradicating the polio virus. The workshop aimed to equip participants with advanced skills and strategies necessary for the early detection and swift response to polio cases across the continent.

Malaria poses a significant health burden in Sierra Leone, with high transmission rates year-round. Children under five and pregnant women are mostly affected, leading to severe illness and death. The disease strains healthcare resources, hinders economic productivity, and challenges access to care, particularly in remote areas. Sierra Leone implements preventive measures and collaborates with global health partners to combat malaria, but challenges persist, highlighting the need for sustained efforts to address this threat to public health.

The WHO is working hand in hand with the Luanda Provincial Health Directorate to intensify social mobilisation initiatives for the second round of polio vaccination, which will take place from 13 to 16 October. With the support of the WHO, various advocacy and engagement initiatives with communities and key partners, and the dissemination of information through different channels, are being carried out to ensure everyone's participation and leave no child behind without vaccination. Vaccinating saves lives!

On October 10, 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) South Africa attended the World Mental Health Day (WMHD) commemoration hosted by the National Department of Health. The event took place at Madadeni Hospital in Newcastle within the KwaZulu-Natal Province to mark World Mental Health Day.

Accra, Ghana – When Cynthia Adjei* had an episode of an acute mental health condition in her junior high school in 2021, she was greeted with derision. This led to a deep depression that threatened her future education as she couldn’t bear to face her fellow pupils.

“I never wanted to go back to school because I felt that everyone was staring at me and making comments as I passed by,” the now 18-year-old teen recalls. “All I could imagine was people talking about me,  and laughing.”

Accra, Ghana – A tragic explosion that levelled the entire village of Appiatse in Ghana’s Western region in January 2022, taking the life of Grace Essien’s* husband, literally halted life as they knew it for her and their three children.

Traumatized and grieving, the 30-year-old recalls feeling like her world had ended. “That was one of the most difficult times in my life. I was so devastated that, even after a few weeks, hearing any sounds at all was just driving me crazy.” 

^{_{By Vivian Mugarisi}}

Accra, Ghana - Addressing gender barriers and inequities in access and use of health services has been identified as a key to accelerating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly universal health coverage as enshrined in SDG three.

In a significant stride towards strengthening global health security, Zambia successfully concluded its second Joint External Evaluation (JEE) of the International Health Regulations (IHR) core capacities, using the cutting-edge JEE 3.0 tool on 6 October 2023. The comprehensive assessment was conducted from 2 to 6 October 2023 at the Radisson Blu in Livingstone, by twelve external evaluators lead by Dr Allan Mpairwe of the WHO Regional Hub.  

The Ministry of Health has convened a National After-Action Review AAR meeting to reflect on the response to the recent Cholera outbreak. The aim of the review is to share lessons, challenges, and document best practices to improve public health emergency response.