12 March 2002 -- In its continued efforts to find solutions to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the country, the Nigerian government, over the weekend, held a Presidential Forum on HIV/AIDS. Hosted by President Olusegun Obasanjo, the forum was attended by a number of dignitaries including former United States President Jimmy Carter; Co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates (Snr.); Professor Jeffrey Sachs; Dr. Helen Gayle and a former Nigerian President, Dr. Yakubu Gowon.

11 March 2002, Lusaka - The Ministry of Health and the Central Board of Health in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have began a major polio immunization exercise in the Western and North-Western Provinces in the country.

Brazzaville/Nairob, 8 February 2002: The UN agencies involved in the global effort to eradicate polio are helping to plan a major immunization drive in western Zambia and eastern Angola, in response to three polio cases virologically confirmed amongst Angolan refugees. Two joint World Health Organization / United Nations Children's Fund missions, one to Zambia and one to Angola, are joining the national ministries of health to determine if the virus has spread and to help plan the responsive polio vaccination campaign.

A total of 51 wild polioviruses were isolated from 16 states in Nigeria in 2001. The virus is responsible for cases of Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP). 33 of these were Type 1 while 18 were Type 3. Results of 20 other isolates sent to the Regional polio laboratory in Accra, Ghana for intra-typical differentiation are still being awaited.

THE INCIDENT 
An armoury at the Ikeja military cantonment in Lagos, Nigeria, containing "high calibre bombs" went up in flames at about 6.00 pm (local time) on Sunday, 27th January 2002, resulting in a series of explosions in and around the cantonment. The explosions affected areas up to 50 kms. away from the scene of the incident. Lagos is the economic nerve centre of Nigeria. It has an estimated population of between 10 and 12 million people. Two Local Government Areas - Ikeja and Oshodi/Isolo - with a population of about 1.03 million people were mostly affected.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is to spend about =N= 2.7 million this year to support State Epidemiology teams to implement Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) activities in the country. This was disclosed by the WHO Representative for Nigeria, Dr. Abdou Moudi at a recent meeting of State Epidemiologists and WHO Surveillance Officers, held in Kaduna.

22 January 2002  -- Johannesburg - The World Health Organization (WHO) is ready to assist South Africa in efforts to establish health at the centre of sustainable development initiatives, ahead of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) to be held in Johannesburg in August.

This is the view of the Liaison Officer of the WHO's local office in Pretoria, Dr Welile Shasha, who said the Organization will stress the central role of health in the development process, and the linkages between health and poverty reduction in the months leading up to the WSSD.

Epidemiologists from WHO Africa and Eastern Mediterranean regions meet in Accra to discuss surveillance of diseases in the two regions

01 February 2002 -- Epidemiologists and Experts meeting in Accra to assess progress made in the implementation of the UN funded Project on strengthening surveillance and response for vaccine-preventable and epidemic prone diseases, have called for effective documentation to enable national programs and their partners have useful evidence based on field experience in the implementation of the project.

In July 2001, the Countryside Children's Home at Bawjiase in the Central Region of Ghana had 73 children most of them below the age of 10. For their sources of food, the Home had a little garden of vegetables, an acre of food crop farm, a chicken coop with a dozen of chickens, less than 10 goats and sheep in an open pen; and had to rely on handouts from benevolent individuals and organizations.

Harare-- The World Health Organization (WHO) and its 46 Member States in the African Region focused on the broad determinants of health and disease during the 2000-2001 biennium and were thus better able to bring about long-term and sustainable improvements in the status of its people.

This is contained in the Biennial (2000-2001) Report of the WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Ebrahim M. Samba, to be released at the 52nd session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa (RC52) scheduled for 8 -12 October Harare, Zimbabwe.