Nairobi, 16 April 2004 -- Oral diseases, although not always life-threatening, remain a major public health problem in the African region because of their high prevalence and significant impact on general health.

This indication was given Thursday by the World Health Organization Adviser for Oral Health in the African Region, Dr Charlotte Ndiaye, during a presentation at the first international conference on oral health in Africa taking place from 14 to 16 April in the Kenyan capital.

Nairobi, 16 April 2004 -- The conference on oral health in Africa, held from 14 to 16 April in the Kenyan capital, ended Friday with the adoption of the Nairobi Declaration on Oral Health.

Highlights of the Declaration include emphasis on oral health as an integral part of general health and the need for appropriate oral health programmes in Africa. Participants expressed commitment to general and oral health as a basic human right.

Nairobi, 16 April 2004 -- Oral health is an integral part of general health. Oral diseases directly affect quality of life. They have a serious impact on an individual's well being and ability to fulfil desired functions in society. Decayed and painful teeth affect dietary intake and aggravate malnutrition in children because of chewing difficulties. The consequences of conditions like oral cancer and Noma are even worse. They can be life threatening and often result in life-long functional impairment, disfigurement and death.

Nairobi, 15 April 2004 -- African countries have been urged to prioritize oral health and increase budgetary allocations to their oral health programmes. Making the call Wednesday in Nairobi at the start of a three-day conference on oral health in Africa, Kenya's Health Minister, Mrs Charity Ngilu, said, "the problem (posed by oral diseases in Africa) is compounded by the fact that budgetary allocations to oral health programmes have been minimal."

13 April 2004, Kampala -- The out-going WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Ebrahim M. Samba has advised whoever takes over from to continue the "hard work, be credible, transparent and confident". He said this early April in Uganda while attending the International Summit on Nutrition and Food Security.

Brazzaville (Congo), Ferney Voltaire (France), 8 April 2004 -- General development as well as health and oral health indicators in the African region are among the lowest in the world. Oral diseases such as dental caries, oral cancer, periodontal disease and Noma, among others, impact significantly on general health, yet these do not feature prominently enough on the media and political agendas of most countries in Africa. 

Brazzaville, 6 April 2004 -- The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Ebrahim Samba, has appealed to Member States to institute concrete measures aimed at reducing road traffic injuries.

Johannesburg, 30 March 2004 -- The World Health Organization (WHO) has welcomed the South African government's commitment to African Traditional Medicine in the health care delivery system.

Speaking on Tuesday at the African Traditional Medicine Conference in Johannesburg , WHO country representative, Dr Welile Shasha, said that official recognition and respect of traditional medicine was the right step towards integration into national health systems and services.

17 March 2004, Ethiopia -- A high-level expert group set up by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the African Union (AU) is to meet in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 2 April to examine the high rates of maternal and newborn death in Africa and make recommendations to the AU on how to halt and reverse the trend.

This emerged during a meeting recently in Addis Ababa between the WHO Regional Director for Africa Dr. Ebrahim M. Samba and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mr. Alpha Oumar Konare.

Harare, 19 February 2004 -- Experts from various international agencies and Non Governmental Organizations attending a meeting on maternal and neonatal death reduction in Harare ended their deliberations on Wednesday with the development of a road map aimed at accelerating progress to reduce maternal and newborn morbidity and mortality in the African Region.