New York -- United Nations Deputy Secretary General Louise Frechette has called on the international community to help in "addressing the needs of Africa where poverty and health challenges are the most acute."

Launching an international health exhibition organized by the World Health Organization in collaboration with the UN Department of Public Information at the UN headquarters in New York on Monday, Mrs Frechette said: "We (the international community) must provide support to Africa …let this exhibition be an inspiration to us all."

A meeting of health ministers from southern African counties and senior officials of WHO ended Wednesday in Harare, Zimbabwe, with delegates from participating countries renewing their "political commitment for immediate actions with a view to mitigating the health consequences" of the humanitarian crisis facing the region.

A report issued at the end of the meeting said that the ministers "indicated the importance of a strategic response which recognizes the multi-dimensional nature of the current crisis, and which responds effectively to people's priority needs."

Speaker after speaker at a World Health Organization-World Bank meeting that concluded today in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia drew attention to an emerging crisis of health manpower in Africa. The situation threatens to defeat the efforts of African governments, private health care providers, NGOs, and donors for health improvement.

Women's health is recognized as a human rights issue and should be promoted and defended as such. Women in Africa represent slightly over 50% of the continent's human resources and so women's health has huge implications for the Region's development. Focusing in particular on the unacceptably high level of maternal mortality in sub-Saharan Africa, the report calls for a fundamental rethinking of approaches to improving women's health informed by an understanding of the sociocultural determinants that are so important in shaping it.

As a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), the Ebola virus disease outbreak in West Africa has drawn huge global attention and response.

Numerous queries about immunization services and the risks they present have been raised. Tragically in some areas, there are reports of increased vaccine-preventable deaths, such as measles. In this context, practical guidance on immunization is needed.

The specific purpose of this document is to assist countries to:

Regional Consultation on the roles and responsibilities of WHO and civil society organizations in the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases in the African Region

Intercontinental Hotel, Balaclava, Mauritius, 17-18 October 2016

The 21st session of the African Advisory Committee for Health Research and Development (AACHRD) is scheduled to take place from 22 to 25 April in Port Louis, capital of the Indian Ocean Island State of Mauritius, organizers of the meeting said in Brazzaville on Friday.

The four-day meeting of the 15-member expert committee is expected to explore practical modalities for addressing bioethiocal challenges in health research in the African Region as well as define mechanisms for enhancing research in traditional medicine.

Key facts

• Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the top 10 causes of death worldwide.
• In 2015, 10.4 million people fell ill with TB and 1.8 million died from the disease (including 0.4 million among people with HIV).

Regional Stakeholders Convene to Shape Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s, and Adolescents’ Health

| Johannesburg, 6 May 2015 - Hundreds of leaders and public health experts from across Africa are gathering today to identify game-changing interventions to accelerate progress towards improving the lives of millions of women, children and adolescents.

The WHO Regional Office for Africa is soliciting proposals for nominations for current vacancies on its Task Force on Immunization (TFI).  Nominations are required to be submitted no later than 07 June 2013.  Nominations will be carefully reviewed by the TFI membership selection panel which will propose the selection of nominees for appointment to the WHO Regional Director for Africa.