The Gambia Marks World Diabetes Day 2018

Mr. Momodou Gassama, delivering a statement on behalf of The WHO Representative, Dr. Desta Tiruneh

BANJUL 26 NOVEMBER 2018: The Gambia joined the international community in observing World Diabetes Day (WDD), 14 November 2018.  The Day was observed in two separate events. The first leg of the activities was a long walk organized by the Gambia Diabetes Association (GDA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the WHO Country Office, volunteers and civil society organizations, which terminated in a ceremony at the Young Men Christian Association Headquarters.

“In Our Hands”: Community-led film raises awareness of HIV self-testing worldwide

HIV self-testing demonstration | Augustine Choko from the LSHTM and Malawi-Liverpool Wellcome Trust demonstrated how to self-test for the LSHTM audience. He also shared information about the high uptake of HIV self-testing among men in Malawi | Photo: Anne Koerber, LSHTM
HIV self-testing presents an opportunity to reach the 30% of people with HIV who do not yet know their HIV status. Following the WHO recommendation to use HIV self-testing as an additional HIV testing tool, more countries are starting to develop and implement policies. As of January 2018, 14 countries were actively implementing HIV self-testing services, 42 had developed policies to enable such services, and an additional 47 reported that a policy was in development.

Uganda Virus Research Institute approved as a regional reference laboratory for Yellow Fever

Assistant Entomologist at the UVRI arbovirolgy department identifying mosquitoes

Entebbe, 26th November 2018:- The Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) has been certified to perform yellow fever regional reference lab functions in the Arbovirology department that supports yellow fever diagnostic surveillance. This makes UVRI the only certified Yellow fever reference laboratory in Eastern Africa and the second in the African Region, the other being Institut Pasteur Dakar (IPD) in Senegal.

South Sudan intensifies measures against Visceral Leishmaniasis to improve health and social well-being of affected populations

Participants posing for a group photo

Juba, 22 November 2018 – The Ministry of Health, WHO and partners, concluded a two-day consultative meeting to review the implementation of the Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) control activities in South Sudan for the past seven years (2011 to 2018).  

The objective of the meeting was to review the implementation of the VL control activities from 2011 to 2018; discuss the lessons learned and reporting formats as well as reporting on drug consumption at health facility level on monthly basis especially AmBisome.

Ethiopia to vaccinate more than 1 million people against yellow fever

Ethiopia to vaccinate more than 1 million people against yellow fever
The Ethiopian Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners, today started a second vaccination campaign to protect high-risk populations against yellow fever. More than 1.3 million people will be protected in this seven day campaign, which follows a smaller, more focused campaign in October.