Kampala, 21th August 2015:- Ministry of Health and World Health Organization (WHO), CDC Atlanta and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) conducted a two-day Polio Outbreak Response Table top Simulation Exercise (PORSE) at the Ministry of Health Emergency Operation Centre in Kampala in order to test the response plan and preparedness for the country to respond, to a Wild Polio Virus  (WPV) outbreak.

The 13th Horn of Africa Technical Advisory Group meeting on polio has ended with a call for the affected countries to close gaps in surveillance sensitivity in high risk areas, improvement of routine immunization, population immunity and end to continued undetected low level polio transmission.

The TAG met in Nairobi August 17-20 to look at country situations, preparedness plans and standards in surveillance, Routine immunization and eradication of the Wild Polio Virus (WPV) and Circulating Vaccine Derived Polio Virus (cVDPV).

On the 23rd of November 2014 a volcanic eruption occurred on the island of Fogo in the archipelago of Cabo Verde. During the early hours of the eruption, critical infra-structure such as roads and telecommunications where immediately destroyed by a massive torrent of lava flow that also covered a substantial area of arable land. However, considering the slow movement of magma, the population had sufficient time to be evacuated out of the affected area. 

Juba, 19 August 2015 – The World Health Organization (WHO) and partners are racing to cope with the health needs of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in northeastern South Sudan where fighting continues and the humanitarian situation remains dire.

Freetown, 19 August 2015 - The UN Country Team (UNCT) in Sierra Leone is shocked by the report that an 18-year-old girl, Hannah Bockarie, was brutally raped and murdered on 13 August 2015 at Lumley Beach, Freetown.  The UNCT condemns this horrendous act in the strongest terms and it calls on the Sierra Leone Government to conduct a prompt, thorough and independent investigation into the girl’s death and to bring the perpetrators of this heinous crime to justice.

Harare, 18 August 2015:  The Zimbabwe Public Health Association (ZiPHA) was launched on the 14th of August in Harare at a function attended by many public health practitioners from all over Zimbabwe. The association, whose vision is the attainment of the highest possible standards of health for all Zimbabweans, is committed to improving the health and living status of the people of Zimbabwe through the dedicated and active involvement of its members in all aspects of public health in Zimbabwe and through collaboration with stakeholders.

Banjul, The Gambia, 1st September 2015 - The United Nations System in The Gambia has once again extended its support to the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOH&SW) in the fight against  the dreadful Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).

Brazzaville, 17 August 2015 – Asbestos is a severe cancer-causing agent, causing about half of all deaths from occupational-related types of cancer. Currently, about 125 million people in the world are exposed to asbestos at their workplaces.

Freetown, Sierra Leone – 17 August 2015: Use of rapid response teams and strong community involvement in finding Ebola virus disease cases and contacts is yielding results in Sierra Leone. An epidemiological week has now passed with no new Ebola cases for the first time since the beginning of the outbreak.

“This is very good news but we have to keep doing this intensively-working with communities to identify potentially new cases early and rapidly stop any Ebola virus transmission” said Dr Anders Nordstrom, WHO Representative in Sierra Leone.

Conakry (Guinea), 17 August 2015 (WHO): The President of Guinea, Mr Alpha Condé, called a meeting with Dr Mohamed Belhocine, the WHO Country Representative in Guinea, the coordinator of the Ebola vaccine trial and the CDC/Atlanta coordinator in Guinea. This team of partners was introduced by the national Ebola virus disease coordinator Dr Sakoba Keita.