(A) BACKGROUND

A multi-sectoral taskforce was set up to plan this year’s World Health Day activities under the theme “Save Lives. Make Hospitals Safe in Emergencies.’’ The committee was chaired by the Programme Manager Health Education and Promotion. The taskforce held several meetings to plan for this event.

(B) COMMEMORATIVE ACTIVITIES

Brazzaville/Geneva, 19 January 2010 -- Dr Luis Gomes Sambo of Angola was today re-appointed as the World Health Organization’s Regional Director for Africa at the 126th Session of the Executive Board in Geneva, Switzerland.

He was unanimously nominated for re-appointment by Member States at the WHO Regional Committee (RC) meeting held in Kigali, Rwanda in August 2009. The Committee requested the Director-General to propose to the WHO Executive Board to re-appoint him as Regional Director with effect from 1 February 2010.

Brazzaville/Geneva, 18 January 2010 -- The 126th Session of the World Health Organization's Executive Board began its deliberations today - Monday 18 January 2010.

The Executive Board is composed of 34 individuals technically qualified in the field of health, each one designated by a Member State elected to do so by the World Health Assembly.

Issues to be discussed are:

Brazzaville/Geneva, 14 January 2010 -- The 126th Session of the World Health Organization's Executive Board will begin its deliberations from 18 to 23 January 2010.

The Executive Board is composed of 34 individuals technically qualified in the field of health, each one designated by a Member State elected to do so by the World Health Assembly.

Issues to be discussed are:

Brazzaville, 14 January 2010 -- The World Health Organization (WHO)’s African Regional Director-elect Dr Luis Gomes Sambo of Angola will be sworn in to serve a second term of office at the 126th Session of the Executive Board meeting due to be held in Geneva, Switzerland from 18 - 23 January 2010.

Dr Sambo was unanimously re-nominated by Member States of the WHO Regional Committee on 31 August during the opening session of the annual Regional Committee meeting held in Kigali, Rwanda in August 2009.

15 December 2009 -- Significant progress has been made in delivering life-saving malaria nets and treatments over the last few years, but the coverage of malaria programmes needs to be stepped up drastically in order to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), according to a report released today by WHO.

Read the news release on the World malaria report 2009

14 December 2009 -- The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Luis Gomes Sambo, has called on countries in the African Region to intensify efforts to combine the benefits of vaccination technology with other child health interventions in order to reduce illness and death of children under-five years of age.

Kampala, 14 December 2009 -- The Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) based in Entebbe, Uganda was recommended to host the Secretariat of the African AIDS Vaccine Programme (AAVP), after a very close competition involving a total of eight applicant institutions located in seven countries in Africa. This choice was announced today at the 5th AAVP Forum, held in Kampala, from 13-15 December 2009.

Brazzaville, 1 December 2009 -- The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Luis Sambo, has called on health workers at all levels to play a greater role in HIV primary prevention and encourage safe sex behaviour – abstinence, delay of age at first sexual intercourse, faithfulness and correct and consistent condom use – with a view to stemming the incidence of HIV/AIDS in the African Region.

Dr Sambo’s appeal is contained in his message marking World AIDS Day 2009 which will be observed on 1 December under the theme “Universal access and human rights”.

Tanzania is one of the countries that have good collaboration with WHO and other partners in health. This partnership has made it possible for WHO to solicit appropriate support from different partners and collaborators to compliment the Government’s effort towards ensuring improved health services of its citizens. Hence forth, WHO as the UN Agency specialised in Health, has been playing a central role in ensuring that appropriate measures and actions are taken to promote the health of the vulnaurable populations.