UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy to Stop TB Visiting Africa

November 30, 2009 – Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – The United Nations Secretary General’s Special Envoy to Stop Tuberculosis (TB) is visiting five African countries, Ethiopia included, in a bold initiative to fight the spread of one of the biggest killer diseases on the continent. The mission is organized by the Stop TB Partnership in close collaboration with WHO.

Regional Director receives a courtesy call from Equatorial Guinea’s Ambassador to Republic of Congo

Brazzaville, 24 November 2009 -- The World Health Organization Regional Director for Africa, Dr Luis Sambo was paid a courtesy visit by Equatorial Guinea’s Ambassador to the Republic of Congo, His Excellency José Ela Ebang Mbang, on Tuesday 24th November 2009.

During the visit, they discussed issues of mutual interest between WHO and the Government of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea. Among these was cooperation between WHO and the Equatorial Guinean government to further improve the health status of the people of Equatorial Guinea.

WHO Organizes Workshops for Member States on Pandemic Influenza A/H1N1 Vaccine Deployment

Abuja, 19 November 2009 -- The first of two five-day inter-country workshops on pandemic influenza A H1N1 vaccine depolyment organized by the World Health Organziation (WHO) for its Member States in the African Region got underway on Monday in Abuja, the Nigerian capital.

The workshop, being attended by representatives of French- and Portguese-speaking countries will be followed by another, scheduled from 23 to 27 November 2009, for English-speaking countries.

Both workshops aim at:

Yellow fever vaccination campaign targets 12 million

17 November 2009 -- The largest-ever yellow fever mass vaccination campaign will kick off next week across three African countries. The week-long event will target 11.9 million people across Benin, Liberia and Sierra Leone, all three of which are at high risk of yellow fever outbreaks.

Mauritius Call for Action adopted

Port-Louis, 14 November 2009 -- The International Conference on Diabetes and Associated Diseases has ended today with the unanimous adoption of the Mauritius Call for Action which aims at identifying key strategies and commitments urgently required for planning and implementing national diabetes and non-communicable diseases prevention and control programs.

The Challenge of Diabetes by 2030

Port-Louis, 13 November 2009 -- The figures are alarming. Nevertheless they are real. By 2010, more than 285 millions people worldwide will live with diabetes of which 4 million will die. The number of cases could rise up to 438 millions by 2030.

These statistics are published in the World Diabetes Atlas 2009 presented by David Whiting, epidemiologist, at the International Conference on Diabetes and Associated Diseases held in Port-Louis (Mauritius).

The International Conference on Diabetes opens with urgent calls for action

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Port Louis, 12 November 2009 -- The International Conference on Diabetes and Associated Diseases opened today in Mauritius with calls for action to address diabetes which is already having a tremendous impact on the life and health of millions of individuals, families and communities in many parts of the world.

First Annual Partners Meeting on Control of Neglected Diseases Opens in Entebbe

Entebbe, 5 November 2009 -- The first Annual Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) Control Partners' Meeting organized in the WHO African Region is scheduled to take place from 5 to 6 November in Entebbe, Uganda.

The meeting brings together national NTDs programme managers, WHO programme staff, and major international partners involved in the efforts to control NTD in the African Region.