Kween District, 4th November 2017 - As the Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) continues to unfold in Kween district, eastern Uganda, frontline health workers battling the outbreak have been urged to nurture local capacity to be able to respond to both the current and future outbreaks. 

News release

03 NOVEMBER 2017 | NAIROBI – The World Health Organization is helping the Kenyan Ministry of Health guard against the spread of Marburg Virus Disease from neighbouring Uganda.

Health authorities are strengthening preparedness measures in Trans Nzoia and West Pokot counties along the border with Uganda, where an outbreak was officially declared on 19 October. 

Tanzania, 9-12 October 2017: Every year, the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children (MOHCDGEC) in collaboration with President’s Office, Regional Authorities and Local Government (PORALG) and partners conducts Joint Annual Health Sector Reviews (JAHSR) to assess the performance of the health sector.

This year plague came early to Madagascar and spread quickly. When it began to move out from the areas where it traditionally occurs, people became increasingly alarmed – both within the island nation and in neighbouring territories and countries.

From August to late October 2017, more than 1800 suspected, probable or confirmed plague cases were reported, resulting in 127 deaths. This outbreak is unusually severe, and there are still five more months to go before the end of the plague season.

Arusha, 23-26 October 2017: Tobacco use is one of the leading preventable causes of death, killing more than 7 million people every year. More than its enormous toll of disease, suffering, and death, tobacco use also burdens the global economy with an estimated US$ 1.4 trillion in healthcare costs and lost productivity each year.

To help monitor and control the epidemic, taxing and pricing policies have been widely recognized to be one of the most effective means of influencing the demand for and thus the consumption of tobacco products.

Dar es Salaam, 16 - 18 October 2017: Human health and animal health have been intertwined since time immemorial. Despite the link and the knowledge that especially a sick animal have a negative impact on human health, over the years, the two sectors have been working separately. It is known that the over sixty percent of emerging, re-emerging, and endemic human diseases have their origins in animals.

Freetown, 2 November 2017 - The WHO Global Tuberculosis Report 2017 published this week shows that Sierra Leone is one of 30 countries with the highest burden of the disease in the world. The country reported 14,114 TB cases in 2016 but many more cases likely go unreported.

Kilimanjaro, 16 - 23 October 2017: This year, the United Republic of Tanzania commemorated the Road Safety Week (RSW) with a focus on adherence to road traffic rules and what can be done to prevent road traffic deaths and injuries in the country.

In Nigeria’s Borno State, malaria is currently claiming more lives than all other diseases combined. Children under the age of 5 are particularly vulnerable. WHO recently launched a special campaign in this state aimed at rapidly reducing the malaria burden among young children and, at the same time, protecting them against polio.

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