Tanzania like other WHO Member States has commemorated the World Health Day (WHD) 2012. The WHD 2012 was deferred as it coincided with Easter. Hence the Tanzania Government decided to postpone the WHD Occasion to 17th April in order to give it due prominence. The main planned activity was stakeholders’ advocacy and information dissemination. A Media advocacy session was organized on 17th April 2012 and it attracted larger than expected participation of the Media.

The Sierra Leone Psychiatric Hospital with support from WHO, EU and the College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences (COMAHS) on 12 April presented the WHO Mental Health Gap Action Programme Intervention Guide (mhGAP-IG) to 21 mental health nurses-in-training at the psychiatric hospital in Freetown. The intervention guide was provided to the trainees for use during the course of their training and to guide them in identifying priority mental health conditions after completion.

A team of senior officials from the directorate of Post Graduate Training, Non-communicable Diseases and Research in the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, on Thursday 29 March paid a courtesy call on the WHO Representative, Dr Wondimagegnehu Alemu. The purpose of the visit was to update Dr Alemu on the on-going support for the introduction of local post graduate training and Continuing Professional Development that WHO is supporting. The team was led by Dr Donald Bash Taqi, director of the programme.

Sierra Leone commemorated World Health Day (WHD) together with other WHO member states on 7 April on the theme: Ageing and Health, with the slogan: Good Health Adds Life to Years. Activities to mark the occasion included a 5 Kilometre walk along the Lumley-Aberdeen beach. The walk was facilitated by the Ministry of Health & Sanitation (MoHS) and WHO. It drew participants from different groups including sport clubs, UN agencies, NGOs, government departments and the general public.

World Tuberculosis (TB) Day was commemorated on 29 Match 2012 under the theme, “Stop TB in my Lifetime,” with an urgent call for ZERO TB DEATHS. This year’s event had a special focus on Childhood TB towards getting to ZERO.

Banjul, 09 April 2012 -- During the past couple of weeks The Gambia had been actively engaged in a series of international health events – synchronized polio NIDs, World TB Day and World Health Day respectively. The first in the series was the successful conduct of National Immunization Days against polio (NIDs) from 23 to 26 March 2012.

February 19, 2012, Millennium Hall in Addis Ababa -- The Government of Ethiopia Minister of Health, Dr. Tedros Adhanom, honoured many organizations and individuals in recognition of their contribution to the very successful 16th International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA) which took place in Addis Ababa, from 4-8 December 2011. Trophies, Medals and certificates were awarded to organizations and individuals who contributed significantly to the success of ICASA. In addition to the Medal and a special crystal award for the WCO, Dr.

Brazzaville, 6 April 2012 -- The Minister of Health of the Republic of Congo, Professor Georges Moyen has today paid a courtesy call to the World Health Organization Regional Office i

Brazzaville, 6 April 2012 -- African governments should adopt good policies on ageing and health in order to facilitate the continued positive contribution by the elderly to the development process in the region.

This call is contained in a message issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa, Dr Luis Sambo, on the occasion of World Health Day (WHD).

WHD 2012 will be observed across the globe on Saturday (7 April) under the theme Ageing and Health and with the slogan Good health adds more life to years.

Nairobi Kenya, 4th April 2012 -- Kenya marked this year’s World Health Day on 4th April 2012. In marking the Day, the Minister for Public Health and Sanitation, Honourable Beth Mugo called on people of all ages in Kenya to adopt health lifestyles as an investment into healthy and active ageing. This year’s commemoration was marked under the global theme focusing of “ageing and health” and was commemorated through series of events, including a media advocacy and sensitization event of 4th April 2012.