Central EPI Team members supported the Ethiopian Food, Medicine and Health Care Administration and Control Authority (EFMHACA) to conduct a training of trainers (TOT) on Adverse events following immunization (AEFI) causality assessment for regional task force members in Adama town. The TOT was conducted in two rounds from 28th March - 1st April, 2016 and from April 12-15, 2016 respectively.

Collecting patients’ data in a comprehensive national registry is key to improved and effective cancer care in Africa. This was the main conclusion of a recent workshop held in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo. The workshop brought together health authorities and cancer control experts from 19 francophone African countries.

A coordination meeting was conducted at the National Polio Laboratory in Addis Ababa on April 5, 2015. The participants of this meeting included the Head of the Polio and Measles Laboratory, senior laboratory experts, and staff from WHO. The purpose of the meeting was to review the 2015 polio and measles laboratory performance.  

Health workers in Ethiopia are mostly women and they are playing a key role in immunization. In addition to many other responsibilities that they have, they are serving their communities by immunizing their children against vaccine preventable diseases towards saving lives of millions of children. Polio vaccination campaigns in Ethiopia rely on the commitment of local health workers who visit each and every house to ensure that no eligible child is left behind.

Abuja, 09 May 2016 - The African Vaccination Week (AVW) ended in Nigeria with World Health Organization (WHO) calling on the Federal and State Governments to improve immunization and surveillance activities in conflict affected areas of the North East and at international borders. This call was made by the WHO Country Representative (WR) Dr Rui Gama Vaz at the official launch of the AVW in Abuja.

Mityana 5th May 2016 - On April 29th, Uganda commemorated World Health Day a few weeks after the designated 7th April of every year. The function was held at Banda Sub-county Headquarters in Mityana district under the theme “Beat Diabetes: Scale up prevention, Strengthen Care and Enhance Surveillance “.

Johannesburg, 06 May 2016 – The World Health Organization Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti has called for a change in approach from treating single diseases to promoting health, and to investing in strong national health systems in order to be able to deliver on people’s demands and expectations.

In Uganda, taking a bath before surgery, closing the door to the operating theatre and ensuring surgeons clean their hands properly can be the difference between life and death. A study involving more than 650 surgical patients, showed the rate of infections halved after new measures were introduced.

Niamey, 4 May 2016 - Today, WHO launched a manual that demonstrates how States in the African Region can improve oral health, especially in primary healthcare centres, schools and communities. The publication entitled Promoting oral health in Africa: Prevention and management of oral diseases and noma as essential interventions against n