Luanda, 10 August 2012 - Today, Angola marks a year without a new wild poliovirus case, moving the world a step closer to the final global goal of eradicating this contagious crippling disease forever. After a concerted effort to stop polio transmission the number of polio cases dropped from 33 in 2010 to five in 2011 and no cases registered in 2012.  Laboratory results have confirmed that the last case of wild poliovirus was a 14 month old child from  Uige Province in the country's north west in July 2011. 

New cholera cases and deaths due to the ongoing outbreak, continue to be reported in 8 of 13 districts in Sierra Leone. By August 11, 2012, a total of 9,234 cholera cases and 160 deaths have been reported by the Directorate of Disease Prevention and Control (DPC) in the Ministry of Health and Sanitation. The Case Fatality Rate is 1.7% and the Attack Rate is 0.26%.

Cholera situation in Sierra Leone - 10 August 2012

World Breastfeeding Week 2012 was observed in Eritrea under the theme, “Understanding the past – planning for the future.” It was nationally celebrated from 1 to 7 August.

The objective of the event was to raise awareness of the community on the advantages of breastfeeding. Various awareness activities were carried out in the country.

The event was officially opened by Dr Andebrhan Tesfatsion, acting Director General of Public Health Division. He elaborated on the successes and achievements Eritrea has made in breastfeeding.

Addis Ababa, 06-07 August 2012 -- Ethiopia observed the World Breast Feeding Week (WBFW) for the 4th time under the theme, “understand the past and plan for the future”. The WBFW, launched twenty years ago by the World Alliance for Breast Feeding Action (WABA), focuses on actions to protect, promote and support breastfeeding.

3 Aug. 2012, Mhondoro: World Breastfeeding week was launched in Mhondoro under the theme Understanding the past—Planning for the future. Celebrating 10 years of the Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding. The event, which was attended by the Mhondoro community, UN agencies, and other players in child health and nutrition, aimed to celebrate the successes and achievements of the past 10 years and to call for action to bridge the remaining gaps in policy and programmes on breastfeeding and infant and young child feeding.

Articles in this edition include: 

1. Review of Early Infant Diagnosis of HIV in Sierra Leone
2. Sierra Leone and Liberia Undertook Joint Training on WHO OneHealth Tool 
3. Acute Malnutrition Situation in Children 1st Quarter 2012

WHO Sierra Leone Newsletter May June 2012

Kampala, 1 August 2012 -- The First International Scientific Meeting on Nodding Syndrome (NS) concluded its third day of proceedings by finalizing a standard case definition and identifying critical next steps in a research agenda that will guide future scientific studies.

ierra Leone launched commemoration of World Breastfeeding Week 2012 on 1 August 2012 on the theme “Understanding the past - planning the future”. Every year World Breastfeeding Week is commemorated to promote and support early initiation (immediately after delivery) and exclusive breastfeeding of children 0-6 months as well as continued breast feeding until two years and beyond. The event was launched by the Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr Alhassan Seisay.

On 31 July 2012 the World Health Organization handed over diagnostic equipment and drugs worth, 1.2 million Malawi kwacha to Kasungu District Hospital. This support is for the implementation of the WHO package for essential noncommunicable diseases (WHO PEN) for primary health care in low resource settings.

Kampala, 30th July 2012:‐ The First International Scientific Meeting on Nodding Syndrome (NS) opened this morning in Kampala, Uganda. Experts from around the world have converged to discuss and find a way forward on a number of issues including a standardized way to define cases of Nodding Syndrome (NS); whether NS is syndrome or a diseases and the association that seems to exist between Onchocerciasis and NS.