Government of Zimbabwe joins the rest of the world to commemorate World Health Day

MoHCC giving remarks during the World Health Day Commemoration in Harare

7 April 2022 - Today, The Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) joins the rest of the world to mark World Health Day 2022. This year’s theme “Our planet: Our health” advocates for global attention on urgent actions needed to keep humans and the planet healthy and foster a movement to create societies focused on well-being. 

Africa faces rising climate-linked health emergencies

Africa faces rising climate-linked health emergencies

Brazzaville – Climate-related health emergencies are on the rise in Africa, accounting for more than half of public health events recorded in the region over the past two decades, a new analysis by World Health Organization (WHO) shows.

The analysis found that of the 2121 public health events recorded in the African region between 2001 and 2021, 56% were climate-related. The region is witnessing an increase in climate-linked emergencies, with 25% more climate-related events recorded between 2011 and 2021 compared with the previous decade.

Tuberculosis is not a death sentence -survivor’s path to recovery  

Mr Ede John Chimobi, a TB survivior

Akwa, 6 April, 2022 - When 29 years old Mr Ede John Chimobi, a native of Mgbiji in Isuuzor Local Government Area (LGA), Enugu state, tested positive for tuberculosis (TB), he was shocked as he never considered himself to be at risk. 

Mr Chimobi, who works as security personnel, had been feeling unwell - coughing at night, his chest was hurting, sweating, and not sleeping well. 

Bringing quality reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health care closer to the community

Dr Charles Sagoe-Moses, WHO Representative and HE Mr HARADA Hideaki, the Ambassador of Japan to Namibia in the Erongo at the Governor's Office.

The Ministry of Health and Social Services with support from World Health Organization (WHO) and funding from the Government of Japan concluded a one-year project to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health services.  The programme was implemented against the backdrop where COVID-19 threatened the country’s ability to meet its target to reduce maternal mortality from 385 (NDHS 2013) to at least 200 per 100,000 live births by 2021/22 and to reduce newborn mortality from 20 to 10 per 1,000 live births by 2021/22.

“WHY SHORTER TB REGIMEN IS THE MOST PREFFERED BY PATIENTS IN ESWATINI”

Siphephelosethu Ntjangase poses outside Nhlangano health center where he is receiving treatment
Siphephelosethu Ntjangase is a 21-year-old university student from Hluti village in the Shiselweni region who suffers from pulmonary drug resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB).  In October 2021 before getting checked, he noticed that he was losing weight, sweating at night and had a persistent cough that had lasted over a year. From the first test, the diagnosis was not conclusive which forced him to opt for a second opinion and that is when he tested positive for tuberculosis (TB).

Major antibiotic donation moves African countries closer to defeating yaws

Major antibiotic donation moves African countries closer to defeating yaws
A major donation of azithromycin, an antibiotic, is being delivered to Cameroon, Central African Republic and the Republic of Congo to contribute to the ongoing efforts to eradicate yaws in the three countries that are among nine in Africa where the disfiguring and debilitating childhood infectious disease is still endemic.

Implications of social media misinformation on COVID-19 vaccine confidence among pregnant women in Africa

Implications of social media misinformation on COVID-19 vaccine confidence among pregnant women in Africa
It has been over a year since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak of COVID-19 as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern and subsequently a global pandemic. The world has experienced a lot of uncertainty since then as we all get used to this new ‘normal’ with social distancing measures, lockdowns, the emergence of new variants, and an array of hope with the development of vaccines.

Looking back on progress as Sierra Leone marks two years since first COVID-19 case

Sierra Leone marks two years since first COVID-19 case
“We’ve been at the forefront of the efforts to curtail this pandemic and we will continue to provide the best technical expertise to the government to effectively tackle COVID-19,” said Dr Steven V. Shongwe, WHO Representative in Sierra Leone. “At this stage of the pandemic, enhanced surveillance and strong laboratory capacity including genomics sequencing to detect emerging variants and improved vaccination coverage are among the critical support that WHO will continue to provide to keep the people safe”.