48 million targeted as Yellow Fever Initiative partners commit to control the disease across west Africa

Dakar/Brazzaville/Geneva, 5 December 2007 -- With the vaccination this week of 3.1 million people in Senegal, WHO Member States across west Africa and their partners are launching the first preventive pan-west-African Yellow Fever vaccination campaign in 40 years. In the course of the next three years, the campaign will be aiming to vaccinate at least 48 million children and adults in west Africa.

Brazzaville, 29 November 2007 -- Measles deaths in Africa fell by 91% between 2000 and 2006, from an estimated 396 000 to 36 000, reaching the regional target three years early. The spectacular gains achieved in Africa helped generate a strong decline in global measles deaths which fell 68% during the same time period.

28 -29 November 2007 | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - Today, the 13th Roll Back Malaria Partnership Board Meeting opened at the United Nations Conference Center in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in the presence of Dr. Margaret Chan, Director General of the World Health Organization in Geneva and the Minister of Health of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and Chair of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership Board Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Lagos, 26 November 2007 -- The 51st National Council on Health (NCH) meeting held in Lagos from 19 – 23 November 2007. The meeting, which is the highest national policy making and advisory body on health matters in the country, had in attendance the Minister of Health, Minister of State for Health and State Commissioners for Health as well as top management staff of both the Federal and State Ministries of Health and their parastatals and agencies.
        

20th November 2007, Lusaka -- The National Mental Health Conference was officially opened yesterday at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre by the Minister of Health, Honourable Brian Chituwo. The conference is organized under the auspices of the Mental Health Association of Zambia and the Ministry of Health under the theme “No Health Without Mental Health: Time for Action to Meet the Challenges”.

Abuja, 19 November 2007 -- Over five hundred Nigerians from all walks of life, led by the Minister of Information and Communications, Mr. John Odey and the Corps Marshal/Chief Executive of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) Mr. Osita Chidoka participated in a solemn candle light procession on Sunday, 18 November, 2007 in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, in remembrance of road traffic victims. The procession took place simultaneously in all 36 states of the Federation.

Brazzaville, 16 November 2007 -- One hundred twenty national HIV/AIDS Programme Managers in the African Region and WHO technical staff  working in the area of HIV/AIDS held their annual meeting in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, from 12-14 November 2007. The main objective of the meeting was to explore ways of strengthening health sector response to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment care and support towards universal access in the African region.

Nairobi, 6 November 2007 -- The WHO Representative to Kenya, Dr. David Okello handed over to the new Minister for Health, Hon. Paul Sang medicines for Mass Drug Administration (MDA) for Lymphatic Filariasis. The Permanent Secretary of Health, Dr. Hezron Nyangito and the Director of Medical Services, Dr. James Nyikal accompanied the Minister for Health at the ceremony which took place in the compound of the Ministry of Health Headquarters, Afya House. The drugs aimed at treating 1.9 million people in Coast Province are valued at Kenya shillings 1.5 million. Dr.

In mid-September 2007, the Ministry of Health of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) confirmed an outbreak of Ebola haemorrhagic fever in some remote communities in the province of Kasai Occidental. A team of experts from the ministry and WHO quickly launched a disease control campaign. The team included epidemiologists, virologists, logisticians and experts in social mobilization, infection control, medical anthropology and laboratory diagnosis. The team often had to travel by foot and boats to reach these communities.

Ouagadougou, 9 October 2007 -- The meningitis season from December 2006 to May 2007 saw an estimated 53,000 cases of meningitis, with an estimated 4,000 deaths, across the African Meningitis Belt. This was the highest number of cases and deaths since the 2001 meningitis season. To fight last season's epidemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners marshalled 7 million doses of vaccine to protect 400 million people across the 21 countries of the Belt.