High-level political commitment bolsters eradication campaign in endemic region of Gambella
Addis Ababa. 19 March 2014 – The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed the lowest-ever number of reported cases of guinea-worm disease since the eradication campaign began in the mid- 1980s. After more than 30 years of continuous struggle, only 148 cases were reported globally in 2013.

Brazzaville, 17 March 2014 --  Nigeria and Niger  -- two of the five African countries certified by WHO in December 2013 as being free from guinea-worm disease -- have been presented with certificates indicating their new guinea-worm free status.

Kampala, 14th March 2014 -- The World Health Organization Representative for Uganda, Dr. Wondimagegnehu Alemu visited the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) in Entebbe and commended the staff on their excellent work. UVRI is a national centre of excellence for viral diagnostics, surveillance, and research.

On Tuesday 11th March 2014, Maternal and Child Health Week Rwanda was launched in Gisagara district. Rwanda is a high performing country on track to reach MDG 4 and 5. This progress made can be attributed to a combination of strategies employed to strengthen the Rwandan health system and make quality of services accessible to a wide population.

Malaria, Pneumonia and Diarrhea are still responsible for more than 50 percent of death among children under 5 years old in Nigeria. It is on record that majority of these children, particularly those living in hard to reach areas, die at home.

His Excellency President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has declared at the opening of the Presidential Summit on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Abuja on Monday, 10th March, 2014 that for the Universal Health Coverage to be a reality in Nigeria, health Insurance must be a compulsory policy.

A 2-day pre-summit technical workshop for the preparation of the Presidential Summit on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) with the theme, ‘Universal Health Coverage, The Vehicle for sustainable Growth and Development’ has opened in Abuja.

Declaring the Workshop opened, the Honorable Minister of Health, Professor C.O Onyebuchi Chukwu, noted that the theme of the workshop captures government’s belief in the centrality of a healthy population to the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan.

Kampala, 7th March 2014 -- The Director General of Health Services and Country Representatives of WHO, UNFPA, UNICEF and CDC recently held an informal high-level lunchtime discussion on strengthening the Community Health work in Uganda.

Abuja, Nigeria 6th March, 2014 -- The synchronization of immunization activity which lasted from 1st to 4th March 2014 along border settlements between Nigeria and Republic of Niger has been concluded. The activity is widely adjudged as very successful. For instance, between Sokoto State in Nigeria and Tahoua Province in Republic of Niger, 15,137 under-five children were vaccinated on Nigeria side and 16,320 on the Republic of Niger side.